If you’ve stopped by Thrift McGill, you’ve contributed to the success of McGill’s Sustainability Projects Fund (SPF).
The SPF provides financial support for campus sustainability initiatives. Thrift McGill was just one of 39 projects awarded SPF funding during the 2024-25 fiscal year, which ended April 30; the SPF also celebrated its 15th year anniversary and funded its 400th project during that period.
Amounts ranged from under $200 for reusable dishes in the Harrington Lab to over $80,000 for the Donald McQueen Shaver Poultry Complex to supply eggs to the McGill Feeding McGill initiative.
“The SPF breaks financial barriers and gives all McGill students and staff the opportunity to make their sustainability ideas a reality,” said Emma Zgonena, a fourth-year Environment student serving on the SPF Governance Council. “Thanks to the broad range of projects supported over the lifetime of the fund, sustainability has become institutionalized and widely embraced on campus.”
Largest fund of its kind in Canada
Since its creation in 2010, the SPF has allocated over $13 million in funding. It is the largest fund of its kind in Canada, supporting many of McGill’s flagship sustainability initiatives.
“This a testament to the SPF’s success as an action-oriented collaborative resource for environmental initiatives on campus,” said Shona Watt, Associate Director and SPF steward at McGill’s Office of Sustainability.
A sustainable success
One of the year’s biggest SPF success stories was Thrift McGill: 200 people visited the boutique on its opening day last fall and a second location has opened on Macdonald campus. It received $37,000 in funding.
Over half of last year’s approved projects had a budget of $300 or less. Among them were a student-led initiative to distribute sustainable menstruation products at Macdonald Campus and a staff-led project to repot Burnside Hall’s indoor plants.
Other activities include a sustainable hackathon hosted by McGill Robotics and a workshop series aimed at reducing eco-anxiety.
Have an idea for McGill’s next big sustainability success? Kickstart it by applying to the Sustainability Projects Fund. For more information on the SPF’s latest projects, view the 2025 Annual Report.