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.

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.

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.

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.

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