Do you want to get involved in Campus as a Living Lab, but you don’t have a project idea in mind? Ask yourself these questions to help identify a sustainability challenge that interests you.

• What would you like to see McGill improve on in terms of sustainability?
• Have you faced a sustainability challenge on campus that you want to address?
• How does sustainability relate to other topics you are interested in?
• What activities, projects, or research are you already involved in on campus?

 For additional support brainstorming a CLL project idea, sustainability [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20inquiry) (reach out to the Office of Sustainability).

Examples of Past CLL Projects

Students, staff, and faculty have implemented countless Campus as a Living Lab projects on McGill's campuses, contributing to a wide range of sustainability initiatives. These projects have also advanced the implementation of the McGill University Climate & Sustainability Strategy. For inspiration, below are some examples of CLL projects that took place on campus.

Managing cafeteria food scraps with dehydrators

Multi-Criteria Analysis of Options for Organic Waste Management at McGill University Cafeterias (ENVR 401, 2021) 

In the context of McGill’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy, it is important that the University determines ways of optimizing organic waste management to reduce emissions and be more sustainable. As such, a team from ENVR 401 evaluated the option of installing organic waste dehydrators in the cafeterias and selling the output of this process — dehydrated organic matter — to third parties. Ideally, this would reduce the costs and emissions associated with McGill’s current organic waste management, which consists of sending the organic waste to its partner, Compost Montreal, where the waste is then composted.

Assessing climate change vulnerability at Mac Farm

Vulnerability Assessment of the MacDonald Campus Farm (ENVR 401, 2021) 

An ENVR 401 team conducted a vulnerability assessment of the Macdonald Campus Farm to climate change, identifying the potential impacts of climate change on the farm and possible adaptation solutions. This research was prompted by the McGill Office of Sustainability as a first step to help inform a climate vulnerability assessment for McGill. The students analysed historical climate data and future climate projections for the region via a literature review and analysis of open-source climate data and conducted qualitative interviews with staff, researchers, and students on perceived vulnerabilities. They identified the most feasible adaptation options to respond to potential challenges based on environmental impacts and technological availability.

Investigating effects of urban heat islands on energy use

An Investigation of the Local-Scale Urban Heat Island Effect on McGill University’s Downtown Campus and the Potential for its Mitigation (ENVR 401, 2020)  

In the context of a changing climate and an increasingly urbanized global population, much effort has been devoted to understanding the causes and repercussions of the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which refers to the higher atmospheric temperatures of urban areas compared to surrounding rural areas because of differences in land cover and population size. A team from ENVR 401 examined the presence of the UHI effect at the micro-scale of McGill University’s Downtown Campus, hoping to pinpoint the way it affects the energy consumption of the University’s buildings (in chilled water used for general cooling) and the way it is compounded by the University’s urban landscape (in features such as the sky-view factor, land use, canopy cover, and elevation).

Evaluating sustainability efforts of McGill suppliers

Social and Environmental Assessment of McGill’s Top Suppliers along their Supply Chains (ENVR 401, 2019) 

The goal of this project was to evaluate social and environmental impacts in the supply chains of McGill’s top suppliers. This study evaluated the performance of McGill’s top suppliers, assessed the suppliers’ efforts to mitigate environmental and social impacts; identified key risks and barriers in addressing these impacts, and recommended strategies to mitigate these risks and impacts. To meet these objectives, a team from ENVR 401 focused on two issues: conflict minerals in the scientific instruments sector and sustainable seafood in the food sector.