Saint-Laurent community heading in a green direction

“I invite people to put into practice gestures of sustainable development daily", said Saint-Laurent Mayor Alan DeSousa, who is also responsible for Sustainable Development in the city of Montreal.

In rounds with the media to take stock of the first phase of Montreal’s Strategic Plan of Sustainable Development launched in 2005, DeSousa accounted for the achievements. "Since municipal mergers, the environmental dossier has taken on an important role in Montreal," he said. "We have put together a water fund, ratified the Kyoto protocol, addressed the dossier of natural environments and pesticides and adopted a regulation on car idling.”

Certain actions will be carried out by the centre city, such as the creation of a centre on biodiversity, the development of a master plan on the management of residual materials by the end of the year and the establishment of selective collection in some ten large parks. But, the most important measure consists of a 20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2012, even if the Canadian objective is 6%. "To get there, we must transform the energy source in the treatment of used water, insulation and vehicles," said DeSousa.

In Saint-Laurent, the administration intends to carry out some 20 measures suggested by Montreal. Among those, the continuation of the Allego Program which makes it possible for municipal employees to use self service bicycles to get around during work and efforts made in favour of recycling.

"One notes the great interest of citizens towards the environment,” said DeSousa. “Certain actions form part of their culture now. For example, in one year, Saint-Laurent citizens increased by 50% the tonnage of residual materials, by taking 3,100 blue boxes of an additional 64 liters last year.”

Proof that residents are more interested in composting, the number of composters went from 23 to 103 in two years in the borough of Saint-Laurent. "The free distribution of compost each spring has a synergic effect", said Robert Horvath, director of the Saint-Laurent Éco-district, noting that the city of Montreal will distribute compost at the Saint-Michel Environmental Complex May 5 and 6.

DeSousa, who uses the metro on occasion and intends to use his bicycle this summer, feels that it is necessary to ask each time before making a decision, if there is an environmental alternative which could apply. "The eco-energy solutions, like hybrid vehicles, are sometimes more expensive to purchase, but is worth it in the long-term," he concluded.

Schools also have ‘green’ programs. At Enfant-Soleil School, the planting of trees carried out last year did not take, but children ages four and five proceeded to plant bulbs in flower beds in autumn, which are now blooming. (Translated by Michael Beigleman)