Campus as a Living Lab (CLL) projects use McGill infrastructure and operations as a laboratory for sustainability research. They allow students, staff, and faculty to test their sustainability ideas in real-world contexts while also making their work and learning environments more sustainable.
By combining education, research, and campus operations, CLL projects tackle concrete challenges at the University, help McGill move toward its sustainability targets, and provide invaluable opportunities for experiential learning.
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Students, staff, and faculty can all benefit from participating in a Campus as a Living Lab project. For students, the opportunity to apply their classroom learning to a real sustainability issue on campus fosters leadership, problem-solving, and research skills. Through their work, students gain practical experience they can use to build their resume and enter the job market feeling career ready.
For staff and faculty, CLL offers a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration and an opportunity to engage with sustainability on campus.
Students
Students can participate in a CLL project in several ways.
Take a class: Several courses at McGill have a CLL component. While they often work with the local community, several research projects have been done on campus.
Start an independent research project: Students can start a CLL project at any point during their time at McGill, either for a master's thesis, an undergraduate honor's project, or simply for fun.
Students who want course credit for their project can reach out to an academic advisor in their faculty to learn about opportunities for independent study.
Additional support: McGill offers several sources of funding for students to support sustainability projects.
Staff and Faculty
Staff and faculty who want to start a sustainability project on campus can sustainability [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20inquiry) (contact the Office of Sustainability) for help developing their project idea and connecting with students interested in getting involved.
Want to participate but don’t have a specific project in mind? The Office of Sustainability can provide project ideas that support McGill’s long-term climate and sustainability targets.
For instructors: If you teach a course that includes CLL in the curriculum, or you would like to incorporate CLL into your teaching, contact the Office of Sustainability for advice and project suggestions.
Additional support: Several funding options are available at McGill to support staff- and faculty-led sustainability projects on campus.
For more guidance on how to bring a Campus as a Living Lab project to life, sustainability [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Campus%20as%20a%20Living%20Lab%20inquiry) (reach out to the Office of Sustainability).
