Sustainable development
By definition, sustainable development describes the state of a process or situation that can be maintained, indefinitely, at a certain level. This expression is often used in terms of the potential longevity of vital ecological support systems, such as climate changes. The sustainable development in business implies the use of renewable resources and holds itself responsible of impacts on the environment and on the Human rights which are generated by companies. Sustainable development in business is a field that is becoming increasingly important. Moreover, companies have started to adopt ecological practices not only to reduce pollution but also to be accepted in the public and social environment.
Sustainable Concordia
For several years, REFAEC (Coalition of students from the administration faculty of Eastern Canada) has encouraged its members, from different universities, to organize conferences related to sustainable development. We believe that no other university has followed this directive as well as Concordia.
In fact, Concordia University has proven itself by tackling the climate change through both its renovation and construction of new building plans. As well, the university has recently announced that the new John Molson building will have the LEED certification (Green Building Rating System’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). In addition, the selected chiefs of projects respect the LEED norms for the construction and renovation. Moreover, among the six largest universities of Quebec, Concordia is the one who has achieved the greatest energy savings and this, for 9 consecutive years. To this end, our university has won many awards over the past three years for having saved as much energy, especially in the new Loyola science complex and in the recent Hall Building renovations. Furthermore, the Concordia shuttles run on 4% bio diesel and an electronic database has been created to encourage carpooling, online car sharing advice, fairs and events designed to raise awareness on the importance of walking rather than taking the car, or even using the public transit, bicycles, or carpooling to reduce carbon emissions and improve the air quality, and thereby their own health.
Concordia students have also involved themselves in environmental causes; they have put in place several projects, including Concordia R4, which has created innovations in waste management on campus and enabled cost reductions of more than $72,000 in 2005 through projects such as its double-sided and lug-a-mug campaigns, reusable plates, the recycling services, and R4 collection. However, the project that has had the greatest impact is the 1% Sustainability Action Fund (SAF). It is actually a fee levy of 25 cent per credit paid by students between 2007 and 2012, thus bringing in approximately $150,000 per year. These funds are designed to support sustainable infrastructure changes, student projects, and to incorporate sustainable development into the Concordia culture.
It has now been four years that the John Molson students have been organizing the Sustainable Business Conference. This one day event, which takes place in March, consists of a conference and networking activities, and hosts leaders from different industries to exchange views on distinct themes, such as the value of the fair trade certification, the pros and the cons of the Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), as well as the debates on local versus organic sources in a Montreal and international business environment. Participants will be encouraged to share their knowledge on current topics and will understand recent successes through key speakers, guided discussions, a dinner from a local source, as well as a wine and cheese tasting.
