The Quebec City Convention Center Reasserts Its Commitment To Sustainable Development

With Earth Day just around the corner on April 22, the Québec City Convention Centre is reasserting its commitment to offer its clients and the hundreds of thousands of people who attend events there every year a great place to meet today without compromising tomorrow. The Convention Centre is a leader in sustainable development, having worked long and hard to minimize its environmental footprint, implement responsible food services and operations, foster local development, promote local culture and products, and give back to the community.

“We have a history of being proactive when it comes to sustainable development,” said president and CEO Pierre-Michel Bouchard. “Our vision of a greener future has really led us to pave the way and take novel approaches. This has kept the Québec City Convention Centre at the forefront. It’s more than being good to the environment—it’s about being a good corporate citizen. That’s why we work with partners to create charity events like Cuisinez au suivant, a chef-prepared free meal for 500 people from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Québec City area.”

The Convention Centre’s specialized and knowledgeable staff apply high standards in environmental management and maintain a recycling rate of at least 80% for residual and compostable materials. The measures implemented ensure that all events held at the Centre are eco-responsible and meet the Level 1 criteria of BNQ Standard 9700-253, Sustainable Development – Responsible Event Management.

Highlights of the Québec City Convention Centre’s sustainable approach:

• LEED Canada-CI Gold Level, LEED-EB Silver Level, BOMA BEST Level 3, and AIPC Quality Standards Gold Level certifications
• First convention centre in Canada to implement a comprehensive event eco-responsibility program for event organizers
• Partnership with organizations such as Fondation de la faune du Québec (adopt-a-habitat protection program), Carbone boréal (tree planting in the boreal zone), and Planétair (ways to reduce our ecological footprint and offset greenhouse gases)
• E#co-friendly food services: use of bulk dispensers for milk, sugar, cream, juice, and butter, wooden coffee stirrers, sorting of compostable kitchen waste, menus featuring local products, and more
• Filtered water fountains connected to the Québec City system to eliminate plastic water bottles
• More than 85% of disposable containers, cutlery, and dishes are compostable
• More than 3,000 kg of surplus food donated annually to organizations such as Lauberivière and Moisson Québec
• Rooftop beehives and herb and vegetable gardens in partnership with Alvéole and Les Urbainculteurs
• Support for neighborhood and community-building initiatives such as 3 Things for Canada
• Top billing for artists at events and promotional activities
• A magazine to promote Québec City as a business and convention destination and showcase the know-how of its people (Gold Award, Best Brochure Category, 2017 Meetings Industry Marketing Awards)
• Concierge desk offering business services, tourist information, a gift shop with locally made products, organized tours and activities, and cultural event bookings