Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 45.28
Liaison Cynthia Philippe
Submission Date May 12, 2021

STARS v2.2

Université du Québec à Montréal
PA-1: Sustainability Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.00 / 1.00 Cynthia Philippe
Sustainability advisor
Service du développement organisationnel
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have at least one sustainability committee?:
Yes

The charter or mission statement of the committee(s) or a brief description of each committee's purview and activities:
In 2019, UQAM embarked on a global eco-responsibility approach taking into account each of the three main dimensions of its mission: academic training, research and creation, as well as community services. In this regard, Policy No. 37 on eco-responsibility serves as the main institutional basis. This policy provides for the commitment of its stakeholders to form the Institutional Committee for the application of the Eco-Responsibility Policy (CIME). This committee supports the Organizational Development Department (SDO), which is responsible for implementing the process. CIME reviews environmental assessments and makes recommendations to SDO.

Institutional committee for the application of the eco-responsibility policy / Comité institutionnel d'application de la Politique en matière d'écoresponsabilité (CIME)

CIME plays a role in monitoring, advising and supporting eco-responsible practices within UQAM. Its tasks are as follows:

- Identify priorities in pursuit of the objectives of Policy No. 37.

- Advise the SDO on eco-responsibility and, if necessary, seek the advice of experts outside the committee.

- Support the SDO in the implementation of the action plan (PAIME), in examining the environmental reports produced and making recommendations.

- Help build bridges with the University's strategic plan.

- Collaborate in updating this policy.

http://ecoresponsable.uqam.ca/comite-institutionnel-de-la-politique-en-matiere-d-ecoresponsabilite.html


Groupes de travail en matière d'écoresponsabilité (GTECO) / Eco-responsibility working groups

The common mandates of the GTECOs of the 1st implementation phase are:

- Make an inventory (data and existing actions / initiatives) of the issues covered by the GTECO

- Select the priority indicators (available data, speed of execution, etc.) relating to the theme of the GTECO.

- Determine a work schedule based on the deliverables of the mandates.

- Propose a sequence for implementing the indicators within the 2019-2024 timeline.

- Evaluate the resources needed to implement the priority indicators (1st phase).

http://ecoresponsable.uqam.ca/plan-d-action-institutionnel-en-matiere-d-ecoresponsabilite.html

Members of each committee, including affiliations and role:
Institutional committee for the application of the eco-responsibility policy (CIME) members are appointed by UQAM's Board of Directors (resolution 2020-A-18542) for a two-year term:

President : Annie Corriveau, Director, Organizational Development Services, Vice-rectorate Human and organizational Development representative

-Marie-Kim Bolduc, Executive director, Vice-rectorate for Administration and Finance representative

-Marcel Simoneau, Director, Community Services, Vice-rectorate for Research and Creation representative

-Jasmin Roy, Director, Students Life Services, Vice-rectorate Academic life representative


Professor representative
-Lovasoa Ramboarisata, member of the Institute of Environmental Sciences and Strategy, Social, Environmental Responsibility Department

-Jean-Marc Fontan, member specializing in the social and environmental responsibility of organizations, Sociology Department


Ecoambassador representative
-Hans Asnong, Internship coordinator and educational facilitator, Geography Department


-Cynthia Philippe, Sustainable Development Advisor, Organizational Development Department

Socioeconomic representative
- Marc-Olivier Pepin, ecofiscalist, Ecological Transition Office, City of Montréal

Student representatives 
-Virginie Boelen, Élizabeth Duboc, Sophie Faria-Beauregard

Observer member
-Louise Collignon, Eco-responsibility Director, Organizational Development Department

-Caroline Tessier, Communication Director


Thus, the University opts for the development of a participatory management model. The goal: to get everyone to act in an eco-responsible way in order to decarbonize and strengthen resilience. Here is the model :

• Eco-responsibility working groups (GTECOs) engaged in a continuous participatory process, made up of around fifty community members (professor, students, managerial and professional employee) divided by area of intervention:

Curriculum

Research and creation

Collective commitment, carbon neutrality

Responsible consumption

Waste and water management

Biodiversity, territory and development

Planning, administration and governance

Well-being, diversity, training and affordability

Socially Responsible Investing

Innovation and leadership


Mandate

The common mandates of the GTECOs of the 1st implementation phase are:

- Make an inventory (data and existing actions / initiatives) of the issues covered by the GTECO

- Select the priority indicators (available data, speed of execution, etc.) relating to the theme of the GTECO.

- Determine a work schedule based on the deliverables of the mandates.

- Propose a sequence for implementing the indicators within the 2019-2024 timeline.

- Evaluate the resources needed to implement the priority indicators (1st phase).


GTECO - Governance, planning, administration and communication
Members : Marie-Kim Bolduc, Lovasoa Ramboarisata and Nathalie Benoît


GTECO - Carbon neutrality
Members : Jean-Pierre Desjardins, Patrick Dionne, Lydia Paradis Bolduc and Éric Pineault


GTECO - Curriculum
Members : Marie Berdin, Thomas Berryman, Geneviève Gagné, Romaric Guénand and Yussef Suleiman Kahwage


GTECO - Research & Creation
Members : Magali Barré, Marie-Audray Ouellet, Philippe Pierret and Johanne Saint-Charles


GTECO- Wellness, diversity, development and affordability
Members : Julie Cloutier, Katrina Côté Girard, Jonathan Giguère, Véronique Leblanc,
Émilie Macot, Aline Pajot and Sylvain Proulx

GTECO - Innovation & leadership
Members : Jean-Pierre Richer, Caroline Roger and Marcel Simoneau

https://ecoresponsable.uqam.ca/plan-d-action-institutionnel-en-matiere-d-ecoresponsabilite.html

Does the institution have at least one sustainability office that includes more than 1 full-time equivalent employee?:
Yes

A brief description of each sustainability office:
UQAM Eco-responsibility Team is the only office :

The eco-responsible UQAM team operationalizes the University's Eco-Responsibility Policy (no. 37), mobilizes the community and achieves the objectives of UQAM's 2019-2024 Eco-Responsibility Action Plan (PAIME). It includes achieving zero carbon before 2040. The Policy calls for the collective empowerment of members of the university community to reach 2040 goal.

With this in mind, the team works closely with its entire community in developing stratefies, implementing écoresponsable programs carrying out support aimed at creating a healthy and stimulating living environment, favorable to the development of people and the improvement of performance.

The eco-responsible UQAM team:

- Raise awareness and educate, through appropriate training about the environmental effects of their activities.

- Promotes the assumption of responsibility for eco-responsibility by each of the organizational units and their members.

- Advocates preventive and corrective actions to reduce the environmental repercussions resulting from its activities.

- Equip the community to better understand, using a series of indicators, the impacts of their activities to help decision-making.

- Manages the evaluation framework that demonstrates its progress (STARS certification, carbon footprint, etc.).

- Coach and empower responsible community stakeholders to recommend, monitor and act to facilitate the achievement of the carbon neutral goal.

Full-time equivalent of people employed in the sustainability office(s):
2

Does the institution have at least one sustainability officer?:
Yes

Name and title of each sustainability officer:
Louise Collignon, Director of eco-responsability; Cynthia Philippe, sustainability advisor

Does the institution have a mechanism for broad sustainability coordination for the entire institution?:
Yes

A brief description of the activities and substantive accomplishments of the institution-wide coordinating body or officer during the previous three years:
One of PAIME's objectives is to bring together stakeholders and not to create more offices responsible for the environment. UQAM opts for a participatory model. Developed and supported by the eco-responsible UQAM team, the eco-responsibility working groups (GTECO) bring together around fifty members from all walks of life. They have specific expertise in strategic intervention areas related to university dimensions in order to reduce our emissions (research, training, innovation, operations and governance). Using their know-how, the groups draw up a portrait of the situation and draw up an inventory of solutions. They select the action priorities for the following year and annually share their recommendations with the Committee for the application of the Eco-Responsibility Policy (CIME)

http://ecoresponsable.uqam.ca/plan-d-action-institutionnel-en-matiere-d-ecoresponsabilite.html

Job title of the sustainability officer position:
Director of eco-responsability

Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Job description for the sustainability officer position:
Reporting to the Director of Organizational Development, this person leads the eco-responsible actions induced by the major strategic directions of UQAM, aims to achieve objectives and instigates a common vision.

Detailed description of the function:

This person performs some or all of the following functions:

1. Continuously develops strategies related to the application of Policy No. 37 through evolving action plans in accordance with the guiding principles and the reference framework.
2. Maintains an overview of work, initiatives, activities and services, in order to foster strategic cohesion.

3. Revises, adapts and enriches the approaches adopted for the organization of work within the team, both the immediate one and the organization of the work carried out by the stakeholders within the framework of a participatory process or any other type of engagement.

4. Manages several projects simultaneously, demonstrates analytical and decision-making skills regardless of the volume of work and advocates solutions focused on achieving objectives.

5. Establish standards, develop indicators and monitor progress assessment, determine priorities, while meeting the needs of the community.

6. Orchestrate smoothly, sustained communication with team members and between multiple stakeholders. Shares progress, with the aim of developing a common vision, promoting change management and obtaining notable collective results.

7. Coordinates various internal committees provided for in the action plan and sits on external committees relevant to eco-responsibility.

8. Analyzes, builds and improves the eco-responsible service offer in line with Policy No. 37 and the resulting action plans. Performs a logical development that takes into account community requests and stakeholder input. Ensures satisfaction.

9. Organizes work, clearly communicates roles, tasks and responsibilities of team members expresses itself in a way that brings staff together and motivates. Optimizes processes, establishes innovative solutions to problems.

10. Manage budgetary resources and contracts in compliance with financial rules, search for alternative sources of financing, prepare provisional budgets and monthly reports. Proceed to the rendering of accounts.

11. Adopts good practices focused on the consideration of all team members, develops potential, supports skills development. Promotes the creation of a successful team.

Job title of the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
Sustainability advisor

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (2nd position):
1. Ensures the design and implementation of programs and procedures relating to the environment and sustainable development in various sectors of activity such as responsible sourcing, energy, protection and conservation of the environment and natural resources, management of residual materials and quality of the living environment.

2. Advises and assists the heads of administrative and academic units in the development or implementation of institutional programs and in the achievement of their specific environmental and sustainable development objectives.

3. Collaborate in the identification of the objectives and priorities of the action plan of the Institutional Committee for the application of Eco-Responsibility Policy (CIME)

4. Advises and gives technical opinions to the CIME

5. Informs members of the university community of the policies, procedures and regulations in force, of their rights and obligations and, if necessary, organizes their intention, training and information sessions.

6. Performs analyzes, researches and prepares the files necessary for the development of programs and services in the field of environment and sustainable development.

7. Develops, analyzes and updates the University's environmental report and the annual report of the activities of the CIME and makes the appropriate recommendations.

8. Establishes UQAM's measurement standards and methodology for environmental progress and coordinates their updating.

9. Represents his superior, his immediate superior to external organizations.

10. Supervises, if necessary, the day-to-day characterization of residual materials in concert with the administrative units concerned.

11. Develops and implements information, awareness and education tools for the University's eco-responsibility management.

12. Develops and implements tools for carrying out surveys, polls and discussion groups on the University's eco-responsibility management.



Original in french

1. Assure la conception et la mise en oeuvre de programmes et de procédures relatifs à l'environnement et au développement durable dans différents secteurs d’activités
tels que l’approvisionnement responsable, l’énergie, la protection et la conservation du milieu et des ressources naturelles, la gestion des matières résiduelles et la qualité
du milieu de vie.
2. Conseille et assiste les responsables des unités administratives et académiques dans l'élaboration ou l'implantation de programmes institutionnels et dans la
réalisation de leurs objectifs spécifiques en matière d’environnement et de développement durable;
3. Collabore à l'identification des objectifs et des priorités du plan d'action du Comité institutionnel de la Politique environnementale;
4. Conseille et donne des avis techniques au Comité institutionnel de la Politique environnementale.
5. Informe les membres de la communauté universitaire des politiques, procédures et règlements en vigueur, de leurs droits et obligations et, au besoin, organise à leur
intention, des sessions de formation et d'information;
6. Effectue des analyses, des recherches et prépare les dossiers nécessaires au développement de programmes et de services en matière d'environnement et de
développement durable.
7. Élabore, analyse et assure la mise à jour du bilan environnemental de l'Université et du rapport annuel des activités du Comité institutionnel de la Politique
environnementale et formule les recommandations appropriées;
8. Établit les standards de mesure et la méthodologie des progrès en environnement de l'UQAM et coordonne leur mise à jour;
9. Représente sa supérieure, son supérieur immédiat auprès d'organismes externes;
10. Supervise au besoin les opérations courantes de caractérisation des matières résiduelles de concert avec les unités administratives concernées;
11. Élabore et met en place des outils d'information, de sensibilisation et d'éducation sur la gestion environnementale de l'Université;
12. Élabore et met en place des outils permettant d'effectuer des enquêtes, des sondages et des groupes de discussion sur la gestion environnementale de l'Université;

Job title of the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Job description for the sustainability officer position (3rd position):
---

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainability coordination is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
- https://sdo.uqam.ca/ecoresponsabilite/

- https://ecoresponsable.uqam.ca/

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.