Office of Sustainability
Sustainable campus. Just Solutions. Thriving communities.
Mission
The Office of Sustainability at Concordia University is committed to engaging students, staff, and faculty, as well as the surrounding community, in achieving our sustainability commitments. Our purpose is to transform Concordia into an institution defined by ecological vitality, social equity, and economic integrity, by driving tangible change and fostering a thriving campus community of sustainability leaders. By integrating sustainability at every level of the institution, we aim to hold ourselves accountable to current and future generations at the campus, local, and global scale.
Our primary programs include coordination of:
Our values
We seek to enact all sustainability work through a mindset and approach that supports Indigenization, decolonization, equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice. We endeavor to align with, and champion, the recommendations and work resulting from Concordia’s Indigenous Directions Action Plan, EDI Action Plan and Task Force on Anti-Black Racism Final Report.
The values that guide our behaviour and decision-making include:
- Environmental, social, and economic justice
- Accessibility
- Accountability
- Collective resilience
- Community care
- Empowerment
- Evidence-based action
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2022-23 Annual report
The Office of Sustainability 2022-23 Annual Report highlights our achievements related to our programming, services, and outreach. Key highlights include:
- Our Student Sustainability Ambassadors Program (SSAP) enjoyed a successful year, with 18 students successfully completing the program and volunteering a collective 2,400 hours. To cap this achievement off, the program earned the prestigious 2023 ISCN Excellence Award in the “Cultural Change for Sustainability” category.
- The Sustainable Event Certification Program was launched in Fall 2022, with a positive reception from our community. Since the launch, 15 events have been certified through the program.
- The Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program (SLLFP), in partnership with the Sustainability Action Fund, proudly disbursed $63,137 in funding for three projects focused on best practices for digital research, urban agriculture education programming and incorporation of recycled and reused materials in ceramics studios.
These and our other accomplishments reaffirm our drive and commitment to continue on our mission to foster sustainability culture change at Concordia University through programs that inform and empower our communities.
Cassandra Lamontagne (she/her)
Sustainability Manager
Cassandra is the Sustainability Manager, responsible for supervising the sustainability team on their projects, for supporting institutional planning around sustainability at Concordia, and for incubating new sustainability projects, partnerships, and programs. With an MSc in Geography, Urban and Environmental Systems from the department of Geography, Planning and Environment, and three years’ experience fostering applied and curriculum-based sustainability projects at Concordia prior to joining the Office of Sustainability in 2018, she brings an interdisciplinary and holistic focus to her work in sustainability.
Because sustainability belongs to everyone, she aspires to develop the Office further into a true resource for all Concordians seeking to learn about and implement sustainability in their respective roles at Concordia.
Christian Favreau (he/him)
Sustainability Communications and Engagement Coordinator
Christian is the Office of Sustainability’s Engagement Assistant, responsible for the promotion of, as well as community partnerships around, sustainability-related projects, events, and programs. Christian also acts as the link between the university and the World Wildlife Fun (WWF) in their Living Planet @ Campus program. Christian is often seen on the campuses engaging the wider Concordia community through myth-busting, games, and sustainable giveaways.
As a grassroots organizer, Christian is dedicated to critical-thinking and literacy, community empowerment, and developing agents of change. His vision of sustainability is based on radical imagination.
Meredith Marty-Dugas (she/her)
Sustainability Ambassadors Program Coordinator
Meredith Marty-Dugas is the Sustainability Ambassadors Program Coordinator, responsible for designing and facilitating educational opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to engage in campus sustainable change. She is deeply invested in how volunteers experience personal growth into the Concordia community, so that we can implement collective transformation of the institution and our global relationships. Meredith is an experienced community organizer and meticulous project manager, using her past writing for and communicating to various audiences to build new connections and inspire action.
Meredith enjoys an array of responsibilities and collaborations across fields, from poetry to sustainability, prison abolition and queer feminist joy; all of which help her continue the work of dreaming together towards new, sustainable futures.
Anna Timm-Bottos (she/her)
Reuse Programming Specialist
Anna founded the Concordia University Centre for Creative Reuse (CUCCR) in 2017 and now acts as a Reuse Program Specialist, assisting members of the Concordia Community with all different types of reuse projects. Although a majority of time is still spent at our reuse centre, CUCCR, you can also find her supervising student interns, training volunteers and assisting with sustainability event planning across campus. Her position currently sits within the Office of Sustainability, but she is also a key member of Zero Waste, placed within Facilities Management, dedicated to Concordia’s goals towards waste reduction and diversion.
Anna is keen to connect our community with the materials or resources they need while getting creative to use what we already have instead of buying new.
Faisal Shennib (he/him)
Environmental Specialist
As the Environmental Specialist, Faisal has been responsible for implementing operational sustainability initiatives for Concordia University since 2009. This has manifested with a particular emphasis on waste management initiatives, leading to the creation of the Zero Waste Program and several related initiatives that he oversees.
Faisal’s educational background is in Engineering, with degrees in Mechanical, Civil and Environmental Engineering. He is also conducting ongoing research into applications of AI and IoT in driving community-scale zero waste behaviors as a PhD Candidate, in the form of the OpenWaste.ai project.
Jackie Martin (she/her)
Urban Agriculture & Biodiversity Coordinator
As the Biodiversity Coordinator Jackie's role is to implement best practices in ecological management and to support our many thriving Urban Agriculture initiatives. This involves leading annual biodiversity assessments, working towards a campus wide biodiversity strategy and creating opportunities for student and faculty to engage meaningfully with the outdoor spaces on campus. Before this role, Jackie completed her undergraduate degree in Human Environment, here at Concordia. Since then, she has been continued to work on campus as the Greenhouse house coordinator at SGW and the City Farm School Coordinator at Loyola. She is very passionate about anything to do with plants and loves spending time outdoors kayaking, hiking and camping with her dog.
Manon Raby-Natsuaki (she/her)
STARS Coordinator
Manon is the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) Coordinator and is responsible for developing our submission to STARS. This involves data collection from various units throughout Concordia and drafting fields for submission through the STARS platform. Manon also performs important assessments for inclusion in our submission, such as the Sustainable Curriculum Assessment and the Sustainability Culture and Literacy Assessment. With a Master of Environmental Assessment and three years’ experience working in renewable energy campaigning, sustainable urban development, and federal wildlife conservation, she takes an intersectional and holistic approach to her sustainability work. Manon is passionate about grassroots environmental movements and enjoys hiking and drumming.
