| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.26 |
| Liaison | Karen Oberer |
| Submission Date | Jan. 17, 2024 |
McGill University
EN-3: Student Life
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Karen
Oberer Sustainability Officer McGill Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution have an active student group focused on sustainability?:
Name and a brief description of the active student groups focused on sustainability:
Currently, there are over 50 student groups focused on sustainability and/or address major sustainability challenges. Below is a small selection from this list of groups.
Student Sustainability Network (SSN)
The SSN, coordinated by the Office of Sustainability, brings together student groups that are involved in creating a culture of sustainability at McGill.The SSN stays connected throughout the year through email and Facebook and meets approximately once per term to share information about sustainability-related opportunities for students on campus.
Student Society of McGill University (SSMU) Environment Committee
A committee within SSMU, the student union, they hold a variety of events and work on several initiatives each semester, all with the aim of enriching the knowledge, experience and connectivity of SSMU members on the topic of sustainability.
https://ssmu.ca/governance/committees/
McGill Energy Association (MEA)
MEA strives to bring together and educate the McGill community through initiatives focused on understanding the global energy challenge through fact-based analysis and education.
https://www.mcgillenergyassociation.com/
Science Undergraduate Society Environment Committee (SUSEC) and Science Undergraduate Society Social Sustainability Committee
SUSEC is a group of students in the Science Undergraduate Society committed to promoting environmental awareness and improving the environmental standards and practices within McGill and the community at large. The SUS Social Sustainability Committee is responsible for enforcing inclusivity, promoting cultural diversity, and giving underrepresented groups a voice. The committee creates events, raises awareness about social injustice, and supports equity in the science community.
https://susmcgill.ca/committees
Sustainability in Engineering At McGill (SEAM)
SEAM is a committee within the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS). The committee serves as a supporting platform, fostering and promoting a culture of sustainability within the Faculty of Engineering at McGill through four main efforts: events, projects, consulting work and by compiling and providing resources.
https://www.facebook.com/sustainability.eus/
Desautels Sustainability Network
Based out of McGill and the Management Undergraduate Society, the Desautels Sustainability Network seeks to connect students, professionals, and faculty members interested in sustainability as a profitable opportunity for businesses. Through various events, DSN aims to break silos between faculties, connecting Montreal’s professional community with students.
https://www.mcgilldsn.com/
For a full list of groups, see:
https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/engage/sustainability-groups
Does the institution have a garden, farm, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery program, or an urban agriculture project where students are able to gain experience in organic agriculture and sustainable food systems?:
A brief description of the gardens, farms, community supported agriculture (CSA) or fishery programs, and/or urban agriculture projects:
The Macdonald Student-Run Ecological Garden (MSEG)
MSEG is a diversified vegetable farm located at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University. The farm was founded in 2009 as a student gardening club and has since grown to a scale that allows it to feed hundreds of members of the McGill, Sainte-Anne, and Montreal communities. The farm, run entirely by students, operates from the beginning of May to the end of October. Each employed student commits two growing seasons to the farm: the first as an apprentice and the second as a manager who trains the new apprentices. This structure allows the student club to operate as a highly effective and unique "farmer incubator program", giving the students a level of responsibility and training that is not generally possible with internships at larger, more established market gardens.
https://macdonaldstudentfarm.wixsite.com/mseg
McGill Farmers' Market
The McGill Farmers' Market was established to make local food more accessible to both the McGill and Montreal community. It pays particular attention to sourcing food that is healthy, affordable, and sustainably produced. The Farmers' Market is a weekly gathering spot for students, faculty, and community members to discover local foods. With more than ten local suppliers, the Market provides the opportunity for downtown residents to connect to the agricultural community of Quebec.
http://www.mcgillfarmersmarket.org/
Staff Gardens
The Staff Gardens consist of over 40 container gardens on the downtown campus. McGill staff and faculty can sign up for a garden free of charge, where groups (three or more) purchase their own seeds/seedlings and maintain the plots themselves. Learning opportunities are provided through an orientation session at the beginning of the season and a Teams group where members can share gardening tips and tricks.
https://www.mcgill.ca/sustainability/learn/sustainability-tips/garden
Does the institution have a student-run enterprise that includes sustainability as part of its mission statement or stated purpose?:
A brief description of the student-run enterprises:
Buy your own Bulk
Buy Your Own Bulk, aka BYOB, is a non-profit organization that started in March 2018. Since the beginning, BYOB's goal is to provide affordable, organic, and fair-trade dry foods to the McGill community while reducing waste production through the promotion of healthy and sustainable eating habits.
https://www.buyyourownbulk.org/
Does the institution have a sustainable investment fund, green revolving fund, or sustainable microfinance initiative through which students can develop socially, environmentally and fiscally responsible investment and financial skills?:
A brief description of the sustainable investment funds, green revolving funds or sustainable microfinance initiatives:
Desautels Capital Management is Canada’s first university-owned, student-run registered investment management firm. Established in 2009, Desautels Capital Management offers students in the Honours Investment Management program and the Masters of Management in Finance program meaningful and realistic experience in the industry. All students enrolled in the Honours Investment Management Program and Masters of Management in Finance program work for the company, managing four funds with approximately $8 million in assets, $3 million of which are invested in the SRI Equity Fund.
The Desautels SRI Equity Fund was launched in September 2018 to provide a framework for DCM students to learn about Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). SRI is an investment strategy focused on seeking financial returns through social consciousness. The strategy avoids investments that do not meet certain social, environmental or ethical criteria. SRI considers not only the risk-return performance but also the social benefit and ethics of an investment.
https://www.desautelscapital.ca/sri
Has the institution hosted a conference, speaker series, symposium, or similar event focused on sustainability during the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the conferences, speaker series, symposia, or similar events focused on sustainability:
McGill Sustainability Research Symposium
The Sustainability Research Symposium (SRS) is an annual symposium organised by students and funded by the McGill Sustainability Systems Initiative (MSSI). The 2022 symposium focused on sustainable transport infrastructure in cities and regions across the world with an emphasis on the Canadian context. Access to transport facilities in urban and remote Canada were panel themes in the context of this sustainable transition.
https://mcgillsustainabilitysymposium.wordpress.com/
The Desautels Sustainable Finance Summit
The 2023 summit theme was "the role of finance in transitioning to a green economy." The full-day event brought together sustainable finance experts to lead two workshops and one panel discussion. There was also a networking session with industry recruiters.
https://www.facebook.com/DesautelsSustainabilityNetwork/
Has the institution hosted a cultural arts event, installation, or performance focused on sustainability with the previous three years that had students as the intended audience?:
A brief description of the cultural arts events, installations, or performances focused on sustainability:
Climate Change Artist-in-Residence
In 2021, McGill's Redpath Museum hosted the university's first Climate Change-Artist in-Residence. Milton Riaño used new media art as a creative catalyst to engage the community and enhance the visibility of climate research at McGill through collaboration with climate researchers and hosting of public workshops. This project was funded through the Sustainability Project Fund, with the goal of making climate science more tangible, exciting, and accessible.
Milton Riaño's website: https://www.rianomilton.com/ccair
Projections: Kwe
Launched on April 13, 2022, Projections: Kwe is a digital exhibit featuring 30 artworks from a variety of First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists projected onto the wall of the McConnell Engineering Building lobby. The exhibit ran for one year, after which the Faculty of Engineering and Visual Arts Collection has continued to collaborate and engage with different groups for upcoming Projections exhibits. In concert with Projections: Kwe, the Faculty of Engineering has installed two permanent artworks on the first floor of the McConnell Engineering Building from Benjamin Chee Chee: Afternoon Flight and Friends.
https://www.mcgill.ca/engineering/article/news/projections-kwe-now-display-mcconnell-engineering-building
Does the institution have a wilderness or outdoors program that follow Leave No Trace principles?:
A brief description of the wilderness or outdoors programs that follow Leave No Trace principles:
Has the institution had a sustainability-focused theme chosen for a themed semester, year, or first-year experience during the previous three years?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused themes chosen for themed semesters, years, or first-year experiences:
Does the institution have a program through which students can learn sustainable life skills?:
A brief description of the programs through which students can learn sustainable life skills:
Educational Community Living Environment (ECOLE)
ECOLE is a model of urban sustainable living and a physical hub for the McGill and Montreal sustainability communities. Ten upper year McGill students, called ECOLE Facilitators, live in private rooms in the ECOLE House, with shared community resource rooms in the rest of the House. The Facilitators live sustainably, both materially and socially, by incorporating living practices including composting, reducing energy and water use, and using consensus-based decision making and anti-oppressive practices. Facilitators also complete Applied Student Research (ASR) projects on an aspect of sustainability and develop tools and resources to support ASR projects carried out by non-Facilitators. Facilitators make all the common spaces of the ECOLE House available for use free of charge by student and community groups with sustainability mandates.
https://www.ecoleproject.com/about
Does the institution offer sustainability-focused student employment opportunities?:
A brief description of the sustainability-focused student employment opportunities offered by the institution:
McGill Office of Sustainability Internships
The McGill Office of Sustainability (MOOS) coaches and mentors interns every year with the objective of providing them with a stimulating and valuable work experience. The interns work to support McGill's sustainability goals and projects in the following areas: communications, engagement, multimedia, sustainable events, the Sustainability Projects Fund, and others, as the office needs dictate.
[Note: there is no website devoted to MOOS internships as the positions are posted as they become available].
Does the institution have a graduation pledge through which students pledge to consider social and environmental responsibility in future job and other decisions?:
A brief description of the graduation pledge(s):
A brief description of other co-curricular sustainability programs and initiatives that do not fall into one of the above categories:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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.