McGill University, Canada

Envisioning a brighter future: Sustainability education for all at McGill

As part of McGill’s Climate & Sustainability Strategy 2020 – 2025, the University stated a priority of implementing an online sustainability module to be available to all students, staff, and faculty members. The aim of this module would be to increase awareness about sustainability as a concept and to encourage engagement with sustainability topics, initiatives, and opportunities on campus and beyond. To that end, in 2023 McGill launched two sustainability modules, one for students and another for faculty and staff.

The modules are open to all McGillians, no matter their faculty, unit, or degree program and introduces the concept of sustainability while sharing direct opportunities to get involved with sustainability on campus. The modules leverage custom case studies, asynchronous activities with peers, as well as interactive content to increase engagement with sustainability at McGill. 

Top 3 Learnings

1. We learned that a centralized platform for sustainability information is critical in a large university.
2. We prioritized self-paced learning with interactive visuals, activities, and videos, to engage users more effectively.
3. We moved past sharing concepts and provided action opportunities to empower and engage our community.