First sustainability co-ordinator appointed at Concordia

By Barbara Black

Melissa Garcia Lamarca’s involvement in the student-run Sustainable Concordia Project has turned into a two-year contract as the university’s first sustainability co-ordinator.

Melissa has a BA in geography and economics from McGill and a graduate diploma in community economic development from Concordia.

From its inception in the summer of 2002, she was the auditor for the Sustainable Concordia Project (SCP), researching the university’s social, ecological and economic practices with a view to making them more sustainable.

She was one of the authors of the project’s report (you can read it at www.concordia.ca/sustainability), and worked closely with student groups in raising funds and support. She defines sustainability as the synergy the between ecological, social and economic goals and actions.

The SCP has an advisory board that includes faculty and staff with passion for such issues. This has led to a number of academic initiatives, notably a geography course on sustainability. It has also sparked student initiatives in design, bookkeeping, and other subjects.

Thanks to SCP activism, Concordia’s shuttle buses now run between campuses on fuel that is two per-cent biodiesel.

In her new position, Melissa will try to implement the recommendations of the Concordia Campus Sustainability Assessment, and encourage sustainability initiatives among administrators, faculty, students and staff.

For example, a group of students has been working on a proposal to rehabilitate the large space on the fourteenth floor of the Hall Building, where the Biology Department housed its greenhouse before relocating to the Renaud Science Complex.

Based on a feasibility study by students in the GEOG 398S class, the SCP and the Concordia Student Union have launched a campaign called R4 Concordia: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The idea is to educate and encourage the university community on waste management practices.

Melissa can be contacted at sustainability@concordia.ca or at ext. 5202. She is located in the Environmental Health and Safety Office, GM 1100-50.

Tomorrow, throughout the day, a “sustainability fair,” with exhibits, activities and free food, will be held on the terrace behind the Hall Building .