Three ways to celebrate Earth Day at Concordia
A commemorative Earth Day bike ride will honour the late Hugh McQueen, long-time cycling advocate and Concordia engineering professor. | Photo courtesy of Mary McQueen
Spring has sprung and Earth Day, "the largest environmental event in the world," is coming up. Concordia’s sustainability team has lined up three exciting events to inform, inspire and involve the community on Friday, April 22.
Sign up for your organic farm basket … or win one!
“Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a method of bringing local products directly to consumers,” says Isabelle Mailhot-Leduc, sustainable food system coordinator. Farms that run a CSA program deliver a variety of fresh vegetables to their members every week. Lufa Farms and Coop les Jardins de la Résistance, for example, drop off organic vegetables weekly on both Concordia campuses.
To get the basket season started, Hospitality Concordia wants to give two lucky community members a season full of fresh vegetables. On April 22, stop by any of the following six locations to enter the draw and get information about CSA seasonal baskets:
- Lobby of the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) Building (Sir George Williams Campus)
- The Hive, located on the mezzanine of the Henry F. Hall (H) Building (Sir George Williams Campus)
- The Green Beet, located on the fourth floor of the Hall Building
- The Market, located by the Richard J. Renaud Science Complex (SP) Café (Loyola Campus)
- SP Atrium (Loyola Campus)
- The Hive, located on the second floor of the Student Centre (SC) Building (Loyola Campus)
If you have any questions or would like more information, meet Isabelle on April 22 in the lobby of the GM Building.
Commemorative bike ride to honour Hugh McQueen
Celebrate an unforgettable bike advocate on campus and beyond — the late Professor Hugh McQueen — with a community bike ride.
The route will start in front of the GM Building on the Sir George Williams Campus at 1 p.m. The group will pedal to the SP Building on the Loyola Campus … and back again. Secure your spot: register today!
Office Waste Reduction Program
What would happen if we removed desk-side trash bins, provided mini bins and added compost bins to kitchenettes across the university?
In April 2014, Environmental Health and Safety launched a pilot project for 300 employees in the GM Building to answer this question.
“For the three floors we targeted, landfill waste was reduced by 80 per cent,” says Faisal Shennib, environmental coordinator at Environmental Health and Safety. “When the pilot expands to the whole university, 40 tonnes of organics will be diverted from landfills per year."
This year, the goal is to bring the Low-Waste Office Program to an office near you. The team aims to replace 2,300 trash bins with mini bins and add compost bins to 115 kitchenettes.
Got questions? Stop by the GM lobby from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on April 22. Staff and faculty can pick up their own mini bin and sign up to be a champion of the program in their workspace.
The Concordia Earth Day celebration runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on April 22 in the lobby of the Guy-De Maisonneuve (GM) Building (1550 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.).
The Hugh McQueen bike ride departs at 1 p.m. Register today!
Concordia employees can register for the Sustainability at Concordia workshop led by Concordia’s sustainability team at Environmental Health and Safety and hosted by Human Resources. The next one is on May 11 with a registration deadline of April 27.
