Initiatives
At ECOLE, Facilitators can make initiatives addressing sustainability issues in our house, on our campus, or in our neighborhood. These initiatives range from providing collaborative workshops, free material exchanges like McGill course packs and textbooks, or micro-projects aiming to answer in detail much needed questions regarding sustainability, on a social, economic or ecological scale!
We’ll update this page with our 2021/22 current projects in the coming weeks. If you are interested in any please reach out to ecoleproject@gmail.com!
Join Our Board!
In general, we are looking for commitment for a 2 hour meeting every month and about 2-5 hours more work per month editing and drafting policies, mentoring facilitators and joining consultations. The board is responsible for the financial and legal responsibilities of this non hierarchical organization as well as draft policies and negotiate contracts with SSMU. Our board must be composed of 2 McGill Professors, 2 McGill Staff People, 2 Community Members, a SSMU rep/counsellor, a Student and a current Facilitator in the House.
If you are interested in becoming a board member, please email ecoleproject@gmail.com with the subject line “ECOLE Board Application” and a short paragraph about (1) why you are interested and (2) which one of these board positions you are applying for. Be sure to also attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM), which usually takes place in October.
CANADIAN URBAN FOREST CONFERENCE 2022
The Canadian Urban Forest Conference (CUFC) is a forum to learn and share a vision for building a better future for Canada’s urban forests. The 2022 conference will take place from October 3 – 5, 2022 in Charlottetown, PEI. This year’s theme is Urban Forests and the Challenge of Climate Change: Building Resilience. ECOLE has already submitted our abstract, which you can read here!
Past Initiatives
Take a look at our previous projects and if you are interested in expanding one or asking some questions, please don’t hesitate to email us.
MCGILL ANNUAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL WEEK
In collaboration with McGill SDG Student Hub and Desautels Sustainability Network, ECOLE held a panel discussion on the topic “Corporate Greenwashing: ‘Sustainable’ Consumption and Production.” This topic is related to SDGs 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities) and 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals endorsed by the United Nations. The event was held in the form of a presentation on the topic, followed by a 30min panel discussion. This was then followed by a 30-minute group discussion session, breaking off into three different groups, each led by one speaker, to identify challenges and brainstorm potential solutions.
CLOTHES DONATIONS COLLECTIVE DRIVE
In Fall 2021, the Anti-Oppression and Indigenous Allyship committee organized a collecting drive to gather winter clothes for homeless people. By collaborating with Resilience Montreal, a shelter for Indigenous Peoples in Montreal, ECOLE and McGill students were able to collect 2 sleeping bags, several winter coats, general clothing and some accessories (bags, belts, etc.) that were later donated to Resilience and distributed among people in need. Learn more about Resilience Montreal’s work and volunteering opportunities here!
USED BOOKSTORE CRAWL
This event gathered all book-lovers in a crawl to second-hand bookstores around campus and in the Plateau area. The stores offered a diverse variety of books in English, French and Spanish. It was a great way to discover and support independent bookstores, buy the books you love while protecting the environment.