Concordia University
IN-1: Innovation 1

The Sustainability Curriculum project is a three year project funded jointly by the Concordia Academic Plan and the student group Sustainability Action Fund.
This project quantifies the extent of sustainability content currently offered in the curriculum of the different Faculties at Concordia, and provides the direction and tools to significantly increase the growth of sustainability focused courses, programs and initiatives across the University.

Approach and Impact:
- Through comprehensive research projects, reports, guest speakers, events and workshops this project assists both individual faculty members and departments in strategically integrating sustainability content into the courses and programs they develop. Additionally, the identification and cataloging of existing courses in the different Faculties which offer sustainability-related content provides a roadmap to undergraduate and graduate students seeking to incorporate knowledge about sustainability into their educational experiences. This project solicits the involvement of all relevant stakeholders engaged and interested in sustainability.
- The Sustainability Curriculum Project also creates opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students to become involved in curricular research and planning, as associates or research assistants. Fundamental research and planning strategies of this type provide training for students interested in careers in administration, education, social issues and community networks.

- 2 reports were created cataloging all undergraduate sustainability-related courses from the 4 different Faculties at Concordia. These report are publicly available online (http://www.safconcordia.ca/sustainable-curriculum-report/)
- A Sustainable Curriculum Workshop: Participants shared their knowledge of sustainability issues and initiatives on Concordia’s campus, at other universities and in the sustainable community at large. Participants had the opportunity to identify barriers they faced in their attempts to provide and experience a sustainability-oriented education. A list of professors willing to share knowledge of sustainability topics in the form of a guest lecture was created. This resource offers an opportunity for faculty members to easily collaborate with others in the intention of enriching the learning experience for students. Additionally, comprehensive course outlines were developed, bringing Concordia closer to offering more meaningful, sustainability-oriented course material.
- IntegraTED 2015: IntegraTED is a symposium on teaching and learning environmental, social and economic sustainability. It’s designed to highlight the excellent work of undergraduate students at Concordia and beyond. This symposium gives students the opportunity to learn from one another’s project and initiatives. It also provide attendees the opportunity to contribute to the larger conversation surrounding teaching and learning sustainability-related issues in higher education.

The first IntegraTED conference was held on March 26th-28th 2015 and organized by the Sustainable Curriculum Project.