Overall Rating Silver
Overall Score 59.67
Liaison Luc Surprenant
Submission Date Dec. 23, 2022

STARS v2.2

Université de Montréal
AC-8: Campus as a Living Laboratory

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.00 / 4.00 Luc Surprenant
Consultant, Sustainable Development
Vice rector's office, Finances and Infrastructures
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Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Campus Engagement:

Internship

Lorena Arias Reyes, a master's student in environment and sustainable development, completed an internship for the office of sustainability in the winter of 2021.

Under the supervision of Jonathan Deschesne, professor at HEC Montreal, the focus of her internship was to design a future employee engagement program.

Part-time position at Sustainability Unit

Sarah St-Amand, a student in the Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences program, has conducted an update of the My Ecolab certification. She conducted a benchmarking, proposed a new structure and new actions. She is proceeding with its implementation in the form of a pilot since winter 2022.


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Public Engagement?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Public Engagement:

Faced with the unprecedented ecological crisis facing humanity, the Universite de Montreal and Space for Life (Espace pour la vie) have joined forces to propose Transition Pathways (Chemins de transition), a major project to engage the university community, along with the other driving forces of society, in the necessary debate on the transition in Quebec.

This work is structured around three major challenges: food, territory as well as digital transition.

Since 2019 and for the next few years, Transition Pathways will mobilize the knowledge of several disciplines, and multiple actors, in order to identify collectively the paths that have the potential to lead Quebec society on a more desirable trajectory.

Transition path: territory challenge
How to live in Quebec in a sober and resilient way in the context of ecological transition?
Transition Pathways integrates students at every step of it’s process.

Master's degree internship

Clara Guillemain: summer 2020
Master's degree in environment and sustainability
Academic supervisor : Franck Scherrer, professor of urban planning
Mandate of the internship: literature review to initiate the territory challenge

Research Assistant:

Lucile Goude: winter 2022, summer and fall 2022 session
Master's degree in environment and sustainable development
Mandate: summary sheets on territory challenge


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Air & Climate?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Air & Climate:

Internship - Master's degree in environment and sustainable development

The Universite de Montreal's GHG emissions assessment (scope 1, 2 and 3) was conducted from september to december 2020 by Thierry Gras Chouteau, a master's student, as part of a internship, supervised by professor Julie Tabot of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Thierry also conducted a GHG Emissions Reduction Plan emissions during Winter 2021


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Buildings?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Buildings:
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Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Energy?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Energy:

Supervised work

Reducing carbon emissions at UdeM
Diana Balarezo, Clara Chombart, Carolina Ramirez and Guyleine Rios, students of the Master's degree in Environment and Sustainable Development, have realized a supervised work in 2021). The mandate was to propose solutions in order to reduce GHG emissions related to energy consumption at the University of Montreal.

EDD 6005 course : Mobilizing knowledge in environment and sustainable development

Green hydrogen: for a carbon neutral company!
As part of the course EDD 6005 : Mobilizing knowledge in environment and sustainable development (2021), Pantoja Gajardo and Antoine Roy-Audy have realised a work on the opportunities related to the use of decarbonized hydrogen as a solution in a business context.


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Food & Dining?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Food & Dining:

Faced with the unprecedented ecological crisis facing humanity, the Universite de Montreal and Space for Life have joined forces to propose Transition Pathways (Chemins de transition), a major project to engage the university community, along with the other driving forces of society, in the necessary debate on the transition in Quebec.

This work is structured around three major challenges: food, territory as well as digital transition.

Since 2019 and for the next few years, Transition Pathways will mobilize the knowledge of several disciplines, and multiple actors, in order to identify collectively the paths that have the potential to lead Quebec society on a more desirable trajectory.

Transition Path: Food Challenge
How to feed more and more people in a healthy way without depleting the earth's resources, in a context of climate change?

Master's degree internship
Marlybell Ochoa : winter session 2022
Master's degree in environment and sustainability
Academic supervisor : Franck Scherrer, professor of urban planning
Mandate: food challenge fact sheets and communications support

Research Assistant:
Caroline Braën : winter 2020
Master of Public Health
Mandate: support for the prospective diagnosis of the food challenge


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Grounds?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Grounds:

Part-time jobs on the theme of urban agriculture

Dylan Jeremie Maxime Basley (Summer and Fall 2022)
Promote the University's expertise in urban agriculture
- Support the P.A.U.S.E. executive in the realization of its mandates,
- Support to the gardeners of the P.A.U.S.E. gardens,
- Support for collaborative projects with the various partners of the University of Montreal.

Tom Vignon (Summer and Fall 2021)
Promote the Udemmienne expertise in urban agriculture
- Support to the executive of the P.A.U.S.E. group in the realization of its mandates,
- Support to the gardeners of the P.A.U.S.E. gardens,
- Support for collaborative projects with the various partners of the University of Montreal.

Shao Doyon-Degroote (Winter 2021)
- Writing of the Biodiversity Grant Application - City of Montreal /Ministry of Culture and Communications
- Bioblitz
- Cleaning up activity
- Planting
- technical field work

Summer 2020 Biodiversity Scholarships (various subjets)

Mathilde Léonard
Andréanne Beauchemin-Nadeau
Nicolas Bannester-Marchand
Marion Briand


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Purchasing?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Purchasing:
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Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Transportation:

Part-time positions in the Sustainable Development Unit

Christian Peaker (Winter and Summer 2021) - Urban Planning Student
Redeployment of bike racks, Analysis of sustainable mobility on different campuses, bike path, launch of Univercyclo season (university's long term bike rental program).

Louis O'Brien (Summer and Fall 2022) - Urban Planning Student
Redeployment of bike racks, secure bike parking, bike path, Univercyclo season launch (university's long term bike rental program)


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Waste?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Waste:

Communication courses COM2505 and COM2021

Émilie Gaudette, Félix Sabourin, Kevin Finnerty, Beattie Sharleen Toussaint worked on the development of an educational campaign to reduce food waste at the Université de Montréal.


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Water?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Water:

Internship

Briand Marion, a graduating student in biological sciences, conducted a stormwater management impact study in 2021. She also studied the possibility of installing heated asphalt in connection with stormwater management and the woodland wetlands. Her work has informed the University's Master Development Plan.


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning?:
Yes

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Coordination & Planning:

Delphine Catta, a Master's student in Communication, participated in the co-creation of the University's Sustainability Action Plan in the fall of 2021 through a student job.

Under the supervision of the Office of Sustainability, she participated in the organization of meetings around the 9 themes of the plan, prepared communications related to sustainability and wrote minutes.


Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Diversity & Affordability:
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Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Investment & Finance:
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Is the institution utilizing its infrastructure and operations as a living laboratory for applied student learning for sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work?:
No

A brief description of the projects and how they contribute to understanding or advancing sustainability in relation to Wellbeing & Work:
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Website URL where information about the institution’s living laboratory program is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

Universite de Montreal’s Sustainable Development Unit is committed, through its Sustainable Development Ecosystem, to participating in the creation of a committed, responsible and resilient community.

The Sustainable Development Ecosystem consists of a living laboratory of sustainability where projects emanating from the University's action plan or other stakeholders are carried out by one or more students as part of a credited academic activity.

Projects are developed and implemented in collaboration with the departments and professors concerned. They are also interdisciplinary when the case allows it. They must include a mandatory sustainability training objective.


Universite de Montreal’s Sustainable Development Unit is committed, through its Sustainable Development Ecosystem, to participating in the creation of a committed, responsible and resilient community.

The Sustainable Development Ecosystem consists of a living laboratory of sustainability where projects emanating from the University's action plan or other stakeholders are carried out by one or more students as part of a credited academic activity.

Projects are developed and implemented in collaboration with the departments and professors concerned. They are also interdisciplinary when the case allows it. They must include a mandatory sustainability training objective.

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.