Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program




The Sustainability Action Fund, Concordia University and the Concordia Student Union are collaborating to provide the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program. In 2021/2022 the program will fund up to $130,000 annually in collaborative student, faculty, and/or staff sustainability projects that bring us closer to achieving the goals outlined in Concordia's Sustainability Action Plan.
The goal of the Sustainability Living Labs Funding Program is to support our community in driving innovative sustainability solutions that align with our Sustainability Action Plan, while offering an opportunity to engage in sustainability-related experiential learning.
The Sustainability Action Plan includes long-term visions as well as five-year plans around five stream topics: Food, Waste, Climate, Research, and Curriculum. To apply for the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program each project must identify the goal(s) and/or target(s) the project addresses. See the list of goals and targets below:
1. Food Systems Plan

Vision for 2040
Become recognized as a leader in sourcing food that supports an environmentally and socially sustainable food system
Enhance the capacity to grow and to transform food on campus and maximize related learning opportunities
Provide healthy and affordable food options in every main University building where there are teaching activities taking place
Prioritized five-year goals and targets for Concordia Community
1.1 Increase sourcing of local / sustainable foods to 50% of total purchases in the summer and fall and 40% in the winter
1.2 Recognize and reinforce the role of urban agriculture in advancing hands-on learning, placemaking, and beneficial social impacts
1.3 Support the adoption of healthy, plant-based, allergen-free, and / or culturally inclusive food choices on campus
1.4 Reduce food waste and contribute to food security in our community
1.5 Achieve Fairtrade Silver status
1.6 Create an environment where community members can learn about food, from seed to plate, and offer students hands-on learning opportunities through projects that improve the campus food system
What does this mean?
1.1 Does your project aim to increase the availability of local and sustainable food for our community? (Ex: an urban agriculture project that produces food for our community; a community-run food outlet)
1.2 Does your project encourage administration-level endorsement and support for urban agriculture projects on campus?
or
Does your project outline the social, community-building, and / or educational benefits of urban agriculture projects on campus?
or
Does your project involve the community in urban agriculture at Concordia?
1.3 Does your project increase access to diverse food choices at Concordia? (Ex: Indigenous catering services; a community-run food outlet)
1.4 Does your project explore ways to reduce food waste at Concordia or support food security within our community? (Ex: emergency food baskets)
1.5 Does your project offer education or access to equitably and fairly sourced food on campus? (Ex: forming new equitable partnerships with food providers)
1.6 Does your project involve the community in food education at Concordia? (Ex: A new seasonal food workshop series)
Potential Partners
1.1 Concordia Food Services, Student food groups (Concordia Food Coalition, etc.), 4th Space
1.2 Concordia Food Services, Faculty members, Student food groups (Concordia Food Coalition, etc.)
1.5 Concordia Food Services, Hive Café
1.6 4th Space
Glossary of Terms – Sustainable Food Systems Plan
Allergen-free foods
Foods that are free of the priority allergens in Canada:
- Eggs
- Milk
- Mustard
- Peanuts
- Crustaceans and molluscs
- Fish
- Sesame seeds
- Soy
- Sulphites
- Tree Nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts)
- Wheat and triticale
Culturally inclusive food
These are foods that hold special importance for a particular culture. Common certifications related to culturally inclusive foods are Halal and Kosher. Culturally inclusive choices could also include key staples from different Indigenous cultures that are represented at Concordia.
Culturally inclusive food offerings can also signify an institution’s overall sensitivity to the cultural food practices of different groups. For instance, any campaign to encourage plant-based food choices for health or environmental benefits needs to be mindful of cultural practices involving animal-based foods.
Fair trade
“Fair trade” refers to products certified through the Fairtrade International system. For products, it means that the Fairtrade ingredients in the product have been produced by small-scale farmer organizations or plantations that meet Fairtrade social, economic and environmental standards. The standards include protection of workers’ rights and the environment, payment of the Fairtrade Minimum Price and an additional Fairtrade Premium to invest in business or community projects.
In this plan all the products we refer to as fair trade have been Fairtrade certified.
Local food
In general, food is considered local when it is sourced from or processed in Quebec. However, a stricter standard applies to produce, meat, poultry and seafood, which requires that food is grown or raised, and processed in the province.
In this plan local food also includes community-based foods, which Meal Exchange Canada defines as “foods that can be traced to nearby land, farms, ranches, boats, and businesses that are locally owned and operated. Supporting small and medium-sized food businesses challenges trends toward consolidation in the food industry and supports local relationships and economies.”
Place-making
A multi-faceted approach to the planning, design and care of publicly accessible spaces that realizes a local community’s assets, aspirations, and potential, with the intention of creating places that sustain health, happiness, and well being. [1]
Plant-based food
Plant-based foods are defined as “fruits and vegetables (produce); whole grains; beans, other legumes (pulses), and soy foods; nuts and seeds; plant oils; and herbs and spices”. Also included are multi-ingredient, vegetarian products that contain fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, soy foods, and/or nuts/seeds. Soft drinks, candies, and other products that are nominally vegetarian, but do not contain these ingredients in significant proportions are excluded.
Sustainable food
Sustainable food refers, in this plan, to foods that have achieved one or more of the following sustainability certifications:
- Organic
- Fair trade
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) sustainable seafood certification
This understanding of sustainable food reflects current consensus on trusted certification programs that recognize environmentally and socially sustainable practices. As our food system and knowledge about responsible practices evolves so too will our standards for identifying sustainable food.
Environmental sustainability
Sustainability is understood as defined by the Brundtland Commission’s report, Our Common Future, “meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
In the context of environmental sustainability, it refers to minimizing our ecological footprint and managing our use of natural resources, like water and fertile land, to ensure their continuity.
Social sustainability
Social sustainability concerns people’s access to universal human rights and resources to support healthy, safe communities and families. In healthy communities, people’s personal, cultural and working rights are respected and protected from discrimination.
2. Zero Waste Plan

Vision for 2040
90% diversion of material waste from landfill through compost, recycling, and material reuse
50% reduction of total material waste (per full-time equivalent) through programs that encourage low-waste purchasing and materials reuse
Prioritized five-year goals and targets for Concordia Community
2.1 Go beyond best practices and further improve our waste reduction and diversion performance as well as foster an innovative curriculum and research-integrated program
2.2 Continue to support and expand reuse initiatives and create procurement policies & procedures favoring waste reduction and reuse
What does this mean?
2.1 Does your project provide innovative ways to substantially minimize the volume of waste produced or to increase our compost and recycling at Concordia? Does your project tie in with and leverage research and classroom activities?
2.2 Does your project further the reuse of materials at Concordia? Does your project meaningfully address sustainability at the purchasing stage?
Potential Partners
2.1 Zero Waste Concordia, Facilities Management Concordia, CUCCR
2.2 Zero Waste Concordia, Facilities Management Concordia, CUCCR
Glossary of Terms- Zero Waste Plan
Diversion
Waste diversion refers to the process or performance metric of sending materials to more sustainable destinations or outcomes than landfilling and incineration, such as recycling, composting, or reuse. The performance metric is expressed as a percent of weight of materials sent to beneficial destinations over total materials handled.
Reduction
Waste reduction, also known as waste minimization, refers to the process or performance metric of reducing the total quantity of materials handled within a system boundary. This is typically measured by weight and is expressed by percent of weight of materials reduced compared to a baseline year or a percent of weight of materials reduced by FTE (full-time equivalent) compared to a baseline year. The latter figure allows the metric to factor in the impact of growth or reduction in number of people generating waste within a system.
3. Climate Action Plan

Vision for 2040
Elimination of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled and operated by Concordia University, including all building energy use and transportation operations
Full electrification of all transportation infrastructure at Concordia, including both vehicle fleets and university parking facilities
Carbon neutrality across all remaining sources of emissions
Vision for 2040
Elimination of CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions from all sources controlled and operated by Concordia University, including all building energy use and transportation operations
Full electrification of all transportation infrastructure at Concordia, including both vehicle fleets and university parking facilities
Carbon neutrality across all remaining sources of emissions
Prioritized five-year goals and targets for Concordia Community
3.1 Incorporate climate planning into University governance and operations
3.2 Reduce Concordia’s emissions from buildings by 25% compared to 2014-2015
3.3 Attain Vélosympathique Gold rating at both campuses
3.4 Optimize and support the use of web conferencing software at Concordia
3.5 Achieve 10% in social or environmental impact investments for the Concordia University Fund (CUF)
3.6 Develop a comprehensive plan for offsetting our Scope 3 (indirect) greenhouse gas emissions
3.7 Increase Concordia’s resilience in the context of a changing climate
What does this mean?
3.1 Does your project incorporate climate considerations directly into the structure or operations of your committee, unit or department? (Ex: Climate Emergency Committee)
3.2 Does your project address building energy use, energy efficiency, or fuel sources at Concordia?
3.3 Does your project aim to increase infrastructure, support, or community engagement around cycling? (Ex: bike tours, group rides, safety workshops)
3.4 Does your project offer new tools, educational resources, or programming around web conferencing?
3.5 Does your project explore opportunities for sustainable investing at Concordia? Does your project collect information about individual communities or projects that Concordia could be investing in?
3.6 Does your project contribute to carbon sequestration on a substantial scale? Does your project provide viable, sustainable carbon offset opportunities?
3.7 Does your project seek to explore or address climate-related exposure, vulnerabilities, or capacities in our community or infrastructure?
Potential Partners
3.1 Climate Emergency Committee, Departmental Chair / Director, CSU
3.2 Next-gen Cities Institute, Facilities Management, Building, Civil and Environmental Engineering
3.3 Facilities Management, Urban Planning, Next-Gen Cities Institute, Petit Velo Rouge, Right to Move, Office of Sustainability
3.4 IITS
Glossary of Terms- Climate Action Plan
Emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions that are transferred to the atmosphere through our operations on-campus or through university activities with emissions taking place off-campus. We break our greenhouse gas emissions down into three categories, or scopes:
- Scope 1 emissions: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources (such as from our natural gas heating systems)
- Scope 2 emissions: Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy (such as the purchase of Hydroelectricity)
- Scope 3 emissions: All indirect emissions (not included in Scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including upstream and downstream emissions (such as from the good we purchase, the investments we make, and the transport of our community to and from campus)
Vélosympathique
Vélosympathique is a certification program offered by Vélo Québec, a non-profit organization that aims to promote the use of bicycles for transportation, recreation and tourism.
The Vélo Québec judges assess the infrastructure, educational initiatives, planning initiatives, and encouragement measures that an organization has put into place to benefit their cycling community before awarding institutions with a bronze, silver or gold certification.
In January 2020, Concordia recieved a Vélosympathique Silver rating for our Loyola and downtown campuses.
4. Sustainability in Research Plan

Vision for 2040
Foster an institutional culture that will position Concordia as a world leader in sustainability research with meaningful effects on society
Foster an institutional culture that will position Concordia as a world leader in sustainable research practices.
Prioritized five-year goals and targets for Concordia Community
4.1 Promote and enhance Concordia research to enrich local, Canadian, and International communities
4.2 Monitor and reduce the ecological footprint of research, dissemination, and related activities conducted on and off-campus
What does this mean?
4.1 Does your project link Concordia research with communities outside of Concordia in ways that include, benefit, and enrich these communities? (ex: Urban Sprawl Map)
4.2 Does your project seek to measure or address the harmful environmental impact of our research practices at Concordia?
Glossary of Terms- Sustainability in Research Plan
Sustainability research
Scholarship that enhances our understanding and ability to “meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland 1987, p. 16).
Sustainable research practices
Research practices that minimize the environmental footprint of scholarship. Practices include those involved in carrying out research but also in the dissemination of research results.
5. Sustainability in the Curriculum Plan

Vision for 2040
Work with faculty members to foster an understanding and practice of sustainability across the curriculum.
Immerse students in interdisciplinary settings.
Equip graduates to link their disciplinary training to broader social, environmental, and economic issues, and be ready to enact change in their respective fields.
Prioritized five-year goals and targets for Concordia Community
5.1 Achieve a 20% threshold of sustainability-inclusive courses
What does this mean?
5.1 Does your project result in a new sustainability course at Concordia? Does your project increase the sustainability content of existing courses?
Glossary of Terms- Sustainability in Curriculum Plan
Sustainability
The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) defines sustainability in a pluralistic and inclusive way, encompassing human and ecological health, social justice, secure livelihoods, and a better world for all generations. Major sustainability challenges include (but are not limited to) climate change, global poverty and inequality, natural resource depletion, and environmental degradation. To identify additional sustainability challenges, it may be helpful to reference the principles outlined in the Earth Charter and/or the targets embedded in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Sustainability-inclusive courses
According to AASHE, courses that are not explicitly focused on sustainability may still be sustainability-inclusive if sustainability has clearly been incorporated into course content. To count as sustainability-inclusive, the course must:
- incorporates a unit or module on sustainability or a sustainability challenge;
- include one or more sustainability-focused activities; or
- integrate sustainability challenges, issues, and concepts throughout the course.
Sustainability learning outcomes
According to AASHE, students graduate from degree programs that require an understanding of the concept of sustainability if the program:
- Is sustainability-focused;
- Has formally adopted one or more sustainability-focused learning outcomes (i.e., student learning outcomes that explicitly focus on the concept of sustainability or the interdependence of ecological systems and social/economic systems); or
- Requires successful completion of a sustainability-focused course
Sustainability Living Labs Funding remaining
Sustainability Living Lab Projects
FAQ's
Why was this program created?
The overarching goal of the SLLFP is to support and fund projects that respond to the goals and targets outlined in Concordia University’s 2020-2025 five-year Sustainability Action Plan. The Sustainability Action Plan includes five stream plans addressing the topics of sustainable Food, Waste, Climate, Research, and Curriculum. The stream plans were created with over three years of multi-stakeholder consultations, which the SAF consistently contributed to. Below are some examples of relevant project themes:
- Provide sustainability-related experiential learning opportunities for students
- Increase communication between different stakeholders (students, faculty, operations) in order to consolidate initiatives towards similar goals
- Encourage new sustainability projects on campus and provide an incentive for tie-in with strategic initiatives
- Harness community expertise (in the form of classroom learning and research on campus) to support the fulfillment of goals and targets in the Sustainability Action Plan
- Address knowledge gaps in planning for projects that are aligned with the Sustainability Action Plan
Who can apply?
All students currently enrolled at Concordia University are eligible for funding from the Sustainability Action Fund. The student member of a team must be currently enrolled at Concordia University, and must not have opted out of the Sustainability Action Fund fee-levy or been the main applicant on another project funded by SAF within the same fiscal year.
In addition to identifying at least one student project leader, each team submitting an application for the SLLFP must identify a staff and/or faculty member as project leader. These two (or three) project leaders will act as the primary contacts and liaisons between the SAF and the rest of your project team.
External community members or alumni may also be members of a participating team.
All projects applying to the SLLFP must demonstrate a contribution to the Sustainability Action Plan goals or targets (learn more about this in the decision-making criteria section). Projects must address sustainability issues not only in the content of the project but also must be environmentally and socially sustainable in the process (i.e. the manner in which the project is carried out).
When are applications are accepted?
Applications are accepted on a monthly basis, between the 1st and 15th of each month. Applicants are encouraged to contact SAF’s project coordinator at projects@safconcordia.ca to receive feedback on their application before the final submission on the 15th. Reaching out to the project coordinator for feedback or to provide supplementary information can be key to your applications’ success as it is the Project Coordinators role to represent your interests to the Board of Directors.
The Special Projects Committee meets during the week following the 15th of each month to offer their preliminary recommendations to the Board of Directors. If necessary, the project applicants may have an opportunity to make revisions before the Board of Directors meets at the end of the month to make a final decision.
What can be funded?
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- Tools and equipment that are integral to the project. All the material purchased through the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program must be permanently installed and remain part of the project for its lifetime, or else be returned to SAF.
- Specialized software if it is integral to the project. Applicants must demonstrate that the free/open-source version of the software fails to meet project needs.
- Outreach materials like posters, web hosting, zines, and more.
- Honoraria, which are approved on a case-by-case basis. Project applicants must demonstrate that the honorarium is essential and central to the project. With the information you provide, the Board will seek to assess whether the activities funded through the honorarium are reasonably determined.
- The services of external experts, speakers, and/or technical specialists who are not affiliated with Concordia University.
- Catering and event expenses from sustainable (environmentally- and socially-conscious) sources.
- Space booking expenses.
What CAN'T be funded?
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- Projects/events with no or very limited student engagement and with no or limited contribution to the Sustainability Action Plan. SAF is a Concordia student fee levy organization, and the Sustainability Living Lab Funding Program is designed to engage our students, staff, and faculty in the Sustainability Action Plan. Therefore, funded projects must provide engagement opportunities to students and must be directly related to the goals and targets of the Sustainability Action Plan.
- Operational funding for established organizations including professional development expenses for employees (organizations are qualified as established 2 years after their inception).
- Airfares. The aviation industry has a significant impact on climate change. It is responsible for 5-9% of the total climate change impact of human activity.
- Projects/events supporting or supported by the fossil fuel industry or other corporations whose practices are not aligned with the SAF mandate.
- Non-applied research projects with limited contributions to the goals and targets of the Sustainability Action Plan. Non-applied research projects are encouraged to apply to our Sustainability Research Awards program!
- Projects/events requesting retroactive funding.
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How are decisions made on applications?
The SAF Special Projects committee first reviews the applications following the monthly 15th deadline. After their recommendations are made, the SAF Board of Directors meets at the end of every month to make final decisions on funding applications. The board requires a majority vote in order to pass any decisions on projects.
The SAF Board of Directors is composed of student representatives from each faculty and various student organizations. With the creation of the SLLFP, the SAF has added one university staff seat and one faculty seat on our Board of Directors. This ensures that our Board of Directors has a diverse base of knowledge to assess the merits of your application. See who is on our Board of Directors here!
What are the decision making criteria?
The SAF Special Projects committee and Concordia’s department of VP, Services and Sustainability first review the applications following the monthly 15th deadline.
After their recommendations are made, the SAF Board of Directors meets at the end of every month to make final decisions on funding applications. The board requires a majority vote in order to pass any decisions on projects. In addition to the criteria for our general project funding, the SLLFP is concerned with your project’s ability to address the goals and targets outlined in the Sustainability Action Plans. Key additional decision-making criteria are as follows:
- Quality and quantity of experiential learning opportunities
- Effectiveness and efficiency in meeting the goal or target
- Long term potential for impacting the goal or target
- Ability to engage interdisciplinary and intra-university stakeholders effectively
- Demonstrated plan to measure progress towards goal or target
Who can I contact for support?
Olivia Champagne
Project Coordinator
Sebastiàn Di Poi
Executive Director