2023-24 Climate Action Progress

Status

• In progress

Calls to action

• Learn about Concordia’s Sustainability Governance. 

• Become a member of the Climate Emergency Committee.

• Take advantage of reduced-fare travel with VIA Rail Canada by consulting Concordia’s Travel and Conferences Handbook.
  

Related Sustainable Development Goal

Status

• In progress

Efforts supporting this target

Projects

• The use of renewable natural gas (RNG or biogas) was piloted at Concordia between 2021-22 and 2023-24 via a contract with Energir. Renewable natural gas is methane gas that, rather than being extracted from non-renewable reservoirs, is captured from organic materials that decompose in landfills, sewage treatment plants, and biodigesters. It is considered a carbon-neutral source of energy (the Quebec government suggests an emissions factor of 0.3 kg of CO2e/GJ as opposed to 51.13 for conventional natural gas) and is compatible with Concordia’s existing natural gas infrastructure. When the Climate Action Plan was drafted and submitted in 2019, in the absence of any possibility of our natural gas boilers reaching end-of-life by 2025 (thereby precluding the conversion to electric boilers), the use of RNG combined with energy efficiency projects was considered to be the most viable avenue for reduction of our emissions from buildings. Over three years, the portion of RNG purchased at Concordia was increased with a corresponding reduction in our GHG emissions from natural gas (2.5% in 2021-22, 5% in 2022-23, and 10% in 2023-24.) Concurrently, discussions around the validity of RNG by the Climate Action Plan Taskforce mirrored the evolution of new considerations within the scientific community and from the GHG Protocol. It was ultimately decided that RNG will no longer be purchased beginning in 2024-25. 

• Concordia University is undertaking a comprehensive and integrated overhaul of the building’s systems to significantly reduce energy consumption, aiming to achieve net zero emissions. Plan/Net Zero’s Phase 1 project focuses on a deep retrofit of the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) Building on the Sir George Williams Campus. In April 2024, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was developed in collaboration with the Next-Generation Cities Institute and several other Concordia researchers to identify suitable industry partners. While the agreement has not yet been finalized, RFP submissions were received in October 2024 and are currently under review by an independent committee. The proposals were submitted following detailed feasibility studies conducted by each of the shortlisted potential suppliers, ensuring a high-quality reference document aligned with the tendering requirements for the final selection process. As the pilot project in Plan/Net Zero, the lessons learned will provide input for further reductions possibilities in Phase 2 and subsequent phases. 
  

Energy efficiency

• Concordia has four Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified buildings.

• Concordia participates in the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Energy Challenge, an international competition in building energy management. This year, Concordia’s Grey Nun’s building won the Immeubles résidentiels à logement de plus de 20 000 m2 category for its installation of more efficient boilers, including an electric boiler that uses off-peak electricity.

• 12 new metering projects have been implemented, allowing us to better monitor the current state of our energy use and to validate the results of recent energy efficiency measures. Metered buildings include the FB, H, and GM buildings at the SGW campus and the CJ, VE/VL/SC/PT complex, PS, HA/HB/HC complex, AD/CC, HU, and PY buildings at the Loyola campus.
  

Studies

In partnership with the Next-Generation Cities Institute, a number of studies have been performed in order to assess our campus’ potential for energy efficiency and carbon reductions.

Calls to action

• For students, check out the Green Living in Residence Guide for tips on saving energy.

• For faculty, staff, and graduate students, consult the Sustainable Office Guide for best practices for energy saving.
  

Related Sustainable Development Goal

Status

• In Progress

Efforts supporting this target:

• A Carbon Offsets Research intern was hired by the Office of Sustainability during Summer 2023. The intern performed a review of recent scientific and non-scientific literature on the subject of carbon offsetting as a viable strategy to mitigate carbon emissions in an institutional context. Their research was documented in a report and presentation that will be used to inform further research on the topic.

• The Office of Sustainability in partnership with the Department of Geography, Planning & Environment has started a Fly Less campaign. Three workshops on the topic have been offered. A program is in development to assist departments in measuring and reducing their emissions from business and research travel. 

• The SAP Concur system for expense claims now includes the fields necessary for the university to calculate emissions from travel at Concordia. The changes were implemented by the department of Accounts Payable in close collaboration with the Office of Sustainability and apply specifically to expense claims for travel. This is an important step in transparently reporting on Concordia’s Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions and informing the Fly Less campaign.
  

Calls to action:

• Learn more about the Department of Geography, Planning & Environment Flying Less Policy

• Sign the Flying Less Pledge
  

Status:

• In progress

Efforts supporting this target:

• Campus Master Plan: Leveraging and improving green and outdoor spaces is one of six themes informing the development plan of each campus.

• Stormwater management: Facilities Management has developed a project-based stormwater management strategy to respond to the latest City’s stormwater management bylaws.

• Adaptation and resilience: Concordia is one of eight Quebec universities who have pledged to collaborate on a common analysis of climate risks and impacts to our campuses.

• Native Tree Project: A new Concordia project will allow students and community members to learn about the trees on Loyola Campus and, eventually, the Sir George Williams Campus. Throughout summer 2023, every tree on the Loyola Campus was documented by species and location to raise awareness about the importance of native trees. The goal is to put labels on every campus tree with their Kanien’kéha, English and French names and provide further information on the benefits, uses and history of the trees. 

• Loyola Tree Planting Project: During the fall of 2024 more than 1,400 new trees were planted on the Loyola campus. The project was a collaboration between Concordia and Soverdi  and allowed Concordia to realize parts of the Campus Master Plan that seek to improve campus biodiversity.  The trees were planted in multiple zones on campus.  Two of the zones are dense plantations, or “mini-forests” which seek to mimic the ecosystem dynamics urban woodlands.  One of the zones is planted around the JR parking lot to reduce the heat island effect caused by the pavement.  The zone adjacent to the Vanier Library was planted according to an experimental design that will allow researchers to study the area and make comparisons to other Montreal mini-forests.
  

Calls to Action

• Read more about the tree-planting project

• Find out more about the Campus Master Plan