McGill Net Positive: a living place for sustainability presents its opening speaker

Join John Robinson (Associate Provost, Sustainability at UBC) in a conversation about The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability and Next Generation Sustainability at University of British Columbia

McGill University boasts a strong foundation of excellence in sustainability, including outstanding research, first-rate education, and an active community working to increase campus and community sustainability. McGill Net Positive rests on the premise that, despite all of the good work happening here, a critical piece of the sustainability puzzle at McGill is missing.

We have great people, innovative ideas, and the tenacity to get things done. However, to fully leverage McGill’s sustainability efforts, we believe that McGill needs a “hub” for all of our sustainability activities – research, teaching, and action. The McGill Net Positive project is the first step in a community process to collaboratively imagine and design this hub for sustainability activities at McGill. A "hub" is a central place for people to interact through the course of every day life.

We imagine that a sustainability hub at McGill will connect members of the sustainability community together in a flagship physical space (new or renovated) that embodies principles of green building. It will be a home for sustainability on campus: a place for talks, workshops, and classes as well as for research. Built or renovated using the latest in green design, it will serve as a living laboratory for practicing sustainability and help cement McGill’s reputation as the place for sustainability research, education, and innovation.