City recognizes our R4 program at gala
Montreal paid tribute to Concordia’s efforts in sustainable development, and we can thank the lowly worm.
A reception was held at the Marché Bonsecours by the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal (CRE-Montréal), la Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal (CRÉ) and the City of Montreal to celebrate the completion of the first phase of Montreal’s strategic plan for sustainable development.
About 80 schools, businesses and non-profit organizations signed on to phase one of the city’s strategic plan for sustainable development in 2005, with the aim of creating a better quality of life while protecting the environment.
The gala held March 27 highlighted the work of eight of these signatories, including Concordia’s R4 Compost Project.
In November 2006, a new composting infrastructure was installed in the rooftop greenhouse of the Hall Building that is meant to produce 28 tons of compost annually.
R4 Concordia — rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle — is a working group of Sustainable Concordia. R4 concentrates on environmental initiatives while integrating social and economic factors into its decision-making.
The R4 Worm Swap, a service that sells and buys red wiggler worms and offers home composting kits, is operating in greenhouse on the 13th floor of the Hall Building. Orders can be placed online at ehs.concordia.ca/su/wormswap.php. You can buy half a pound of red wigglers for $15, or a full pound for $25. Vermi-compost kits are available for sale for $15 or $20, and include all materials necessary, except the worms.
If you return half a pound of worms, you will receive $10 — you’ll get $20 for a full pound. The next worm-swap day is April 11. Indoor/outdoor composting workshops are offered once a month. The next ones are at Loyola on April 10, at noon, in SP-534, and on the SGW campus on April 11, at noon, in the greenhouse.
The R4 group has obtained a $3,000 grant from the Concordia Council on Student Life (CCSL) to further develop their compost project. The money will be used to buy an industrial food processor and install an automatic watering system in the greenhouse.
Concordia has signed on for phase two of the city’s strategic plan, to be carried out between 2007-2008. During that period the university pledges to:
• improve infrastructures to promote bicycle use
• create measures to promote recycling and composting
• improve the energy efficiency of our buildings
• hold ecologically responsible events
• participate in the creation of a regional centre for expertise in education for sustainable development.
For more information about R4 Concordia, visit the greenhouse on the 13th floor of the Hall Building or contact coordinator Chantal Beaudoin at ext. 7351 or email recycle@alcor.concordia.ca.