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Ten years, and $7 million in funding, later, it’s safe to say the Sustainability Projects Fund "experiment" has been a huge success

When the Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF) was established in 2009, it was an experiment.

The idea was simple: Promote a culture of sustainability across McGill by providing seed funding for grassroots sustainability projects that address everything from energy savings to social justice. (Each student would pay 50 cents per credit, which the administration would match dollar for dollar.) Members of the McGill community, including students, staff and faculty, would be welcome to apply for funding for their projects big and small.

Ten years, and $7 million in funding, later, it’s safe to say the experiment has been a huge success.

On October 10, the SPF will celebrate its 10th anniversary as the largest fund of its kind in Canada.

In the ten days leading up to October 10, the McGill Reporter is highlighting 10 of the more than 200 projects that have been supported by the SPF.

Today’s project: McGill Feeding McGill

One of the SPF’s original projects, McGill Feeding McGill (MFM) is also one of the Fund’s great success stories.

MFM began in 2009, in the form of a question: Could Macdonald Farm be used for more than teaching and research purposes and actually supply McGill’s Food and Dining Services with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables?

A decade later, the answer is a resounding ‘yes,’ with Mac Farm now providing some 26,000 kg of fresh produce and 3,000 kg of beef to McGill residence cafeterias and dining halls, as well as 420 dozen eggs per week.