About Us
The Mac Sustainable Project (MSP) is a student group whose aim is to increase student, staff, and administrative sustainable practices and awareness at Macdonald Campus. The first two years of its existence were dedicated to compiling and transmitting a workable document to be used as a key reference of the campus' current state, sustainable and otherwise, by the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
Through interviews with staff, administration and students, data pertaining to five criteria of campus sustainability - air, water, land, materials and energy - were collected and assessed. This information has been compiled into the Ecosystem Sustainability Assessment of Macdonald Campus Report, which is accessible to the current and future McGill/Macdonald community and anyone else interested. Specific recommendations were formulated pertaining to every chapter in the hopes that these recommendations will be implemented in the near future. However, in order to close the loop and accomplish this goal, administration, staff and student involvement is essential.
The Report 2006 won second prize at McGill's Faculty of Science Undergraduate Research Conference in the category of Health and Social Sciences.
Besides the report, the Mac Sustainable Project, in association with other students from the same faculty, and the Barton Library staff, was responsible for implementing "green" furnishings, etc. in the newly renovated Barton Library and Greening the Library .
Currently, the MSP is working on supporting the grounds for an environmental officer at Macdonald Campus as well as implementing all natural and biodegradable serving ware, and other sustainable goods and services in the café of the new Link (Sustainable Café Proposal).
Weekly sustainability awareness including new tips and facts about the five ecosystem components of the report on campus is maintained with posters and a changing display case in the Barton Library.
Message of the Dean
Sustainability implies living within Earth's limit, making wise use of natural and human resources, and encouraging economic activities that preserve ecosystem services for present and future generations.
At the Macdonald Campus of McGill University, we are committed to being an international leader in Campus sustainability. Through our undergraduate and graduate programs in the fields of natural sciences, environment, agriculture, food, applied economics, and engineering, we train students that will seek sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing environmental issues we face today.
To find out more about sustainability initiatives at the Macdonald Campus of McGill University and related communities and learn what you can do to contribute to sustainable living, we invite you to follow the links on this site.
Chandra A. Madramootoo Ph.D., Ing.
James McGill Professor
Dean, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Our Mission
This website aims to:
- Serve as a database of campus sustainability initiative information
- Encourage interconnectedness among sustainability initiatives
- Encourage participation of the Mac community in environmentally-friendly alternatives available on and off campus
- Increase the general awareness of environmental sustainability and lead towards implementation of permanent and effective sustainable practices