Editorial

The Sustainability Action Fund (SAF) has become a key player in on-campus sustainability since students voted it in a year and a half ago. Last year 77 per cent of the SAF’s budget was paid out to sustainability projects at Concordia, the majority of which went to student projects.

The Sustainability Action Fund (SAF) has become a key player in on-campus sustainability since students voted it in a year and a half ago.
Last year 77 per cent of the SAF’s budget was paid out to sustainability projects at Concordia, the majority of which went to student projects.
Right to Move, the student bicycle coop, received $3,500 to hire a summer coordinator. Funds from the SAF also helped enable the People’s Potato Garden Project, which taught composting and organic gardening. Some of the garden’s produce also went to the NDG food bank.
Even the CSU has dipped their hand in the SAF cookie jar, getting $7,533 for Reggie’s Bar. This profitable business now has a dishwasher and is moving towards using glassware instead of the non-recyclable plastic cups currently used.
The SAF also put $4,500 in to the Concordia Campus Sustainability Assessment. Carried out every three years, the assessment allows sustainability coordinators to assess the impact of current projects and recommend new projects to ensure sustainability on campus continues to move forward.
The fund also provided $11,000 to the Concordia Greenhouse to hire a coordinator to oversee the project. The organic greenhouse provides a platform for education and research in to sustainable urban gardening.
This year the SAF has pledged $25,000 to the Loyola compost project. The composter is unique in Quebec and diverts 100 tonnes of waste, generated on campus, away from landfills.
The SAF has shown the public that Concordia students are taking the sustainability movement seriously. It has made such an impact that even the Quebec government took notice. This year the provincial government agreed to match students’ funds dollar for dollar. If this referendum question passes, that money, over $100,000, will be lost and it is sadly unlikely that we would ever see it again.
The CSU’s main argument against the SAF is that Concordia’s administration is taking student money to pay for “basic sustainable projects” the CSU thinks should be funded by the administration.
The SAF has gone far beyond funding basic sustainable initiatives. The major projects that the SAF has helped fund could not be done by students alone. Students should be proud that their money is going to projects that have longevity – projects that will make a difference in the long term; rather than on reusable cups and bags which so often end up in the garbage creating hundreds of times more waste than regular paper or plastic.
The SAF also gives students a say in which sustainability programs get funded at Concordia. When the administration wants funds from the SAF they have to put forth a proposal, just like anybody else, and the students who sit on the SAF board make the decision.
The majority of projects funded by the SAF are student projects. In fact the only two administration projects supported by the SAF are the greenhouse and the Loyola compost.
We need the administration on board for these projects, they supply space and funding that could not come from students alone.
Ending this fund will be a huge step backwards in terms of sustainability at Concordia, something we have prided ourselves on.
Not only will a lot of these projects end or incur debt, it makes it look like students don’t care about sustainability. It makes it look as though we don’t want sustainability on our campus and that we’re not willing to pay a few dollars to ensure a greener future.
The CSU’s campaign against the SAF is short-sighted; it’s not like the current executive will have to deal with any fallout from cutting these essential funds.
The only choice is clear, vote no and save the SAF.

Related Posts