'Students need to be agents of change'

The Loyola City Farm School, Le Frigo Vert, the Concordia Farmer’s Market … the list goes on.

With an increasing number of student-run initiatives on campus, sustainability at Concordia is an evolving process and a growing concept. And it’s not just student groups; the university has also been busy developing strategies around sustainability.

Concordia’s President’s Executive Group recently drafted a working definition of what the term means for the university: “Sustainability at Concordia is a mindset and a process that leads to reducing our ecological footprint and enhancing social well-being while maintaining economic viability both on and off campus.”

Dominique Croteau, Concordia's sustainability analyst in Environmental Health and Safety, explains that the working definition is meant to be adapted and developed by the various faculties, groups and organizations on campus, with the overarching components remaining the same.

Everyday sustainability

While the university is taking steps to improve sustainability on campus, students are playing a major role as well. According to Jessica Cabana, vice-president of Sustainability for the Concordia Student Union, it’s important that students become “active agents of change.”

“Change coming from a top-down process is often insufficient and not as long-lasting as coming from a bottom-up process which is more sustainable,” says Cabana.

There are small but key changes that individual students can make in their day-to-day lives that contribute to a greener campus, such as using 100 per cent recycled paper, carrying a reusable water bottle or coffee mug, riding their bike to school and even growing their own food. However, Cabana’s best advice for students interested in making change is to get engaged in social and environmental projects.

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” says Cabana. “By engaging yourself, it creates the social-culture shift that will ultimately make our societies more sustainable.”

Sustainable initiatives on campus

There are a variety of ways to get involved in sustainability on campus.

Students looking for resources or to learn more about sustainability should start by visiting Sustainable Concordia or the Concordia Student Union.

Cabana points out that an easy and accessible way to encourage a sustainable campus is to support current campus initiatives — buying books at the Concordia Community Solidarity Co-op Bookstore, purchasing meals at the various Concordia Food Coalition (CFC) cafes: the Hive Café Co-op, the People’s Potato and Café-X or picking up their groceries at the farmer’s market or Frigo Vert food co-op.

There are also plenty of student organizations on campus to volunteer with or join, including the Concordia Greenhouse, Loyola City Farm School, the Right to Move bike co-op or Divest Concordia, which keeps a watchful eye on the university’s investments.

Students are also encouraged to start their own initiatives and can contact the Sustainability Action Fund for help.

Regardless of how a student chooses to get involved on campus, Cabana says they should be critical when thinking about sustainability. “Our understanding of it can be passive and shallow or it can be engaging, deeply rooted and transformative,” she says.

Learn more about sustainability at Concordia.

Interested in getting involved? Check out resources both on and off campus.