The Catalyst Awards for Sustainability are held each spring to recognize students, staff, and faculty who have made meaningful and enduring contributions to the sustainability movement at McGill University.
There are two types of awards given each year: awards for individual contributions and awards for group efforts. The latter are aligned with the five categories of sustainability as outlined in McGill’s Vision 2020 Sustainability Strategy: Research, Education, Connectivity, Operations, and Governance & Administration.
Elements from all five categories are also included in consideration of the individual awards: the Emerald Key Award for student contribution to sustainability, the Faculty & Staff Award, and the Distinguished Contribution Award.
The submission period for the 2019 Catalyst Awards is now closed.
The Emerald Key Award for student contribution to sustainability
This award will go to a student who has made significant and lasting contributions in creating a culture of sustainability at McGill.
Vision 2020 Category Awards
The Category Awards honour sustainability projects for their achievement in the 5 categories of the Vision 2020 Sustainability Strategy: Research, Education, Connectivity, Operations, and Governance & Administration. They are divided as follows:
- The Connectivity, Governance & Administration Award recognizes projects that: (1) emphasize the need for strong connections, both within McGill and with the local and global communities of which we are a part and/or (2) address how the University is managed in terms of people, funding and finance, decision-making, and process implementation.
- The Research & Education Award recognizes projects that: (1) encompass original research from the McGill community conducted on campus or elsewhere and/or (2) focus on student, staff, faculty, and institutional learning.
- The Operations Award recognizes projects that encompass the physical activities that support the ongoing functioning of the University.
Faculty & Staff Award
McGill Staff members may also win Catalyst Awards for their contributions to the university. The staff member should be someone who has inspired real change on McGill's campuses, thus increasing the sustainability of the University.
Distinguished Contribution Award
This award recognizes an administrative and support and/or academic staff member who has made a profound, sustained, and cumulative contribution to advancing sustainability in the larger McGill community.
