| Overall Rating | Platinum |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.26 |
| Liaison | Karen Oberer |
| Submission Date | Jan. 17, 2024 |
McGill University
PRE-2: Points of Distinction
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
N/A |
Karen
Oberer Sustainability Officer McGill Office of Sustainability |
Name of the institution’s featured sustainability program, initiative, or accomplishment:
A brief description of the institution’s featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
"Creating a Brighter Future: Sustainability at McGill" is a myCourses module available to all students who want to learn about ways they can incorporate sustainability into their time at McGill. Packed with resources, the module offers a crash course on the concept of sustainability and outlines ways students can contribute to a more sustainable future through courses, research, events, and initiatives.
Available in both English and French, the module is a flagship action of the McGill University Climate & Sustainability Strategy 2020-2025, which includes a commitment to increase sustainability education opportunities for the McGill community. It was developed by the Office of Sustainability, in close collaboration with Teaching and Learning Services, with regular feedback provided by McGill student, staff, and faculty focus groups.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this module students will be able to:
- Describe sustainability and its three dimensions,
- Recognize sustainability-related initiatives and opportunities at McGill, and
- Practice sustainability in their day-to-day life and identify how it can play a role in their future.
The module takes about 45 minutes to complete, but it also includes dozens of external resources so students can dive deeper into the topics that interest them and explore the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. Students are welcome to engage with the content all at once or in multiple sittings. They will also never lose access to the course content, so students are encouraged to revisit it anytime.
Completion of the module gives students co-curricular credit, however it might take up to 90 days for students to see it on their co-curricular record (CCR).
An employee-focused sustainability module is due to be released in Fall 2023.
Which of the following impact areas does the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Campus Engagement
Coordination & Planning
Website URL where more information about the accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the featured program, initiative, or accomplishment:
Name of a second highlighted sustainability program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
In order to make significant progress on the university’s Zero-Waste long-term target, McGill further developed its waste infrastructure over the past 3 years. 200 new multi-stream waste sorting stations were installed on the downtown and Macdonald campuses in 2021-2022. There are now over 700 standardized bins installed on the campuses. In addition, organic waste collection was expanded over 27 buildings between 2021 and 2022; more than 200 tonnes of organic waste was diverted from landfill last year. In previous consultations, organic waste disposal was an area of high concern with the McGill community, so the expansion of compost services directly addresses this concern.
Which impact areas does the second program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Waste
Website URL where more information about the second program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the second program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the second program/initiative/accomplishment:
Name of a third highlighted program/initiative/accomplishment:
A brief description of the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project
The Bayano-McGill Reforestation Project is McGill’s flagship carbon offsetting research project led by the McGill Office of Sustainability, the traditional Indigenous authorities of the Congreso General Emberá de Alto Bayano, and the Indigenous women’s NGO, Asociación de Mujeres Artesanas de Ipetí-Emberá (AMARIE) in Panama.
The project is a collaboration with Dr. Catherine Potvin, Professor in the Department of Biology and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Mitigation and Tropical Forests (Tier 1).
With Instructor Julie Major, undergraduate interns of the Panama Field Study Semester (PFSS) will monitor tree growth in the field. Dr Potvin will support research by graduate students in Biology and Geography.
Since 2020, there have been:
- 44,500 trees planted
- 1,939 tonnes of CO₂e offset
- 44 local families participating
- 8 McGill students conducting research
(as of August 2023)
Vision
McGill University seeks to take accountability for its institutional air travel emissions via its own dedicated, research-driven offsetting project, thus contributing to its long-term target of carbon neutrality by 2040.
Mission
By sequestering carbon, the project will help reduce McGill's institutional carbon footprint while strengthening its environmental and social sciences research and providing benefits to collaborating local communities.
About
McGill University purchases seedlings and provides the finances needed to plant and maintain the reforested area in Panama over the long term.
A Governance Committee ensures a fair-trade price is maintained, local communities are consulted, and the project respects all agreed-upon principles. It includes:
- Three individuals representing the communities: the nokos (local chiefs) from Ipetí- and Piriatí-Emberá, and the cacique general (regional chief)
- One individual representing AMARIE
- One individual representing the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI)
The governance committee meets yearly to review, among other subjects:
- The price of a tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e)
- Previous year's plantations
- Community participation and feedback
- Updated scientific research relevant to the project
Which impact areas does the third program/initiative/accomplishment most closely relate to?:
Public Engagement
Air & Climate
Website URL where more information about the third program/initiative/accomplishment may be found:
STARS credit in which the third program/initiative/accomplishment is reported (if applicable):
A photograph or document associated with the third program/initiative/accomplishment:
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.