Sustainability in Engineering at McGill

SEAM

Executive Team 2023-2024
Co-Chairs	Clara Cornet and Julianna Bede
VP Academic	Chris Liu
VP Internal	Brigit Crumley
VP Communications	Annie Gouchee
VP External	Andy Cai
VP Finance	Paolo Fiorilli
VP Consulting	Nikki Lal
VP Projects	Dana Schmid
Academic Coordinator	_
Communications Director	Sarita Khan
Webmaster	_
External Coordinator	_
JC representative	_
Website

Sustainability in Engineering at McGill (SEAM), is a committee within the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS). The committee was formally founded in 2014. SEAM's purpose is to foster and promote a culture of sustainability in the Engineering community.

SEAM's main efforts are planning events, managing projects, providing consulting work, and offering sustainability resources to the McGill Engineering community.

How to Run a Sustainable Event

• Use reusable cups, cutlery, and plateware with Plumber's Plates
• Check out these sustainability guidelines put together by SEAM and MOoS
• Sustainable Event Certification (3-4 weeks prior): contact SEAM for help applying
• SEAM Consulting email seam.consulting@mcgilleus.ca ASAP and we'll try to help!

Subcommittees

SEAM is comprised of three subcommittees to run the different aspects of SEAM with a smaller and more focused group. Each subcommittee is made up of SEAM's executive and general members.

Consulting

This subcommittee is responsible for most projects where SEAM can help other organizations and teams to make their operations more sustainable. A few examples of those consulting projects are below. Contact

Networking

This subcommittee is responsible for the outreach and increase of SEAM's contact list. It is very useful for the group to keep expanding on more and newer connections inside and outside of McGill. This subcommittee is also responsible for finding most professionals in the yearly speed networking event.

Sustainability Project Fund (SPF)

This subcommittee is responsible for the development of sustainable project on campus via the SPF. The SPF has an annual budget dedicated to student and group initiatives to make a greener McGill. The subcommittee makes sure the project is viable and complete so that funding is possible and the project can be made.

Events

Events help to show McGill’s future engineers some of the many opportunities in sustainability, as well to introduce them to thinking and designing in a more sustainable way.

Speed Networking

The Speed Networking event is one of SEAM's largest events of the year. Professionals working in sustainable fields come to provide industry insight, as well as give students an opportunity to make connections and ask questions to people with sustainable careers. The event happens over dinner and is fully catered, as well as free to all students.

Design Team Case Competition

In Fall 2016, SEAM challenged McGill's Engineering Design Teams to make a change in their products or processes to improve their long-term effects on the planet. SEAM wanted their sustainable solutions to be implementable, measurable, and specific to an issue with which the team members identified. The Fall 2016 winning team was M3DP. They were awarded prize money to implement their RecycleBot.

In Fall 2019, SEAM will have new case competition for McGill's Engineering Design Teams. Development of the competition will go throughout the Winter 2019 semester.

Talks/Other

SEAM hosts many other smaller events throughout the year such as talks with industry representatives, wine and cheese events, info sessions (on sustainable internships, applied student research, etc), roundtable discussions on sustainable innovations, documentary screenings, social events, and so on.

Projects & Consulting

SEAM undertakes independent or partnered projects which directly affect the engineering community. A recent undertaking within SEAM has been working with other organizations and teams to make their operations more sustainable.

Plumbers' Plates

Plumbers' Plates (formerly "The McConnell Plate Club") is run for the benefit of student groups on the Engineering side of campus, providing plates, cutlery and drinkware for events. The goal is to reduce the waste created at events and to reduce student groups' costs. You can order plates (for free) for your next event here.

Blues Pub Cups

In 2013, SEAM worked with Blues Pub to implement "The Iron Cup". The cups are provided for a $2 deposit which is returned when the user drops off their cup. This initiative saves approximately 25,000 disposable cups being used each year, and also saves Blues Pub goers the $1 charge for a disposable cup.

Since 2019, Blues Pub will now have a recycling bin for the plastic cups used during the night.

Plants in McConnell

The plants in the McConnell hallway were brought in by SEAM in 2014 as an initiative to brighten up the space and improve the students' moods.

G-Store Fridge

When the G-Store needed a new fridge, SEAM teamed up with them and bought a new, highly energy efficient fridge that met all the the needs of the G-Store while being cost-effective and a more sustainable solution.

Resources

SEAM provides a starting place for engineering students at McGill that are interested in learning more about sustainability but don't necessarily know where to start. This is achieved by actively gathering information, resources, and opportunities and delivering them to the engineering student community via their website, newsletter and other networks.