MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY Run by students, staff and faculty volunteers, Project Green has spurred environmental awareness through such recent projects as Dump N' Run, a community yard sale that recycled used furniture and goods, as well as carpooling and bike sharing.

MCGILL UNIVERSITY Gorilla Composting is a student-led pilot project that encourages the collection of organic waste from campus restaurants and cafeterias. It also provides drop-off points for students to bring their food waste from home. Partly financed by alumni and administration.

UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA The sustainability office at the Students' Union teaches dormitory residents how to reduce their environmental footprint. A reusable-dish program provides plates and cutlery for events to limit reliance on throwaway materials. Students run a collection system for used cellphones and once a month drop off batteries and ink cartridges at a city recycling centre.

UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA, UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA Students at both schools are behind Common Energy, which promotes public transit, locally grown food, cold-water clothes washing and the purchase of durable goods.

UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA Initiatives funded by students and the administration focus on individuals, such as a free coffee refill for those who bring refillable cups on "Muggy Mondays." Students are also conducting an audit of the taste and accessibility of water fountains, part of a drive to curb consumption of bottled water.

UNIVERSITY OF GUELPH Guelph Students for Environmental Change sponsors such projects as Tap-In, which encourages alternatives to bottled water; Green-Up Crew, for litter pick-up; and long-term advocacy efforts to power the university with renewable energy.

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY Sustainability Concordia, launched in 2002 as a student-led project and now partly funded by the university, recruits students as "ambassadors" to teach their peers environmentally friendly practices. Also operates a website with tips on how to reduce car trips to campus. The program collects a levy of 25 cents per course credit, raising about $150,000 a year to provide grants to student projects.