Centre for Sustainable Development
The Centre for Sustainable Development is a non-profit organization comprising eight groups with social and environmental missions. Its goal is to operate a platinum LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building that will serve as a focal point for thinking, education, innovation and meetings on sustainable development in Montréal. Équiterre has taken major steps this year in developing this project. The team has moved forward with the building plans and budget, reached agreements with key financial partners and started designing the building’s Interpretation Centre. Construction work will begin in 2009.
Centre for Sustainable Development members:
- le Centre de la petite enfance Le Petit Réseau inc. (lepetitreseau.com);
- le Centre québécois du droit de l'environnement (cqde.org);
- le Conseil régional de l'environnement de Montréal (cremtl.qc.ca);
- ENvironnement JEUnesse (enjeu.qc.ca);
- Équiterre (equiterre.org);
- Option consommateurs (option-consommateurs.org);
- le Regroupement des Éco-quartiers (eco-quartiers.org);
- le Regroupement national des conseils régionaux de l'environnement du Québec (rncreq.org).
Environment and Construction
Quartier des spectacles and Parc Hydro-Québec
The area surrounding the Centre for Sustainable Development was greatly enhanced in 2008 with the announcement by the City of Montréal and both provincial and federal governments confirming their investment of $120 million to make the area around Place des Arts a hub for arts and culture in America, called the Quartier des spectacles. Several parks will be created there, including Parc Hydro-Québec, adjacent to the Centre.
Construction plans and budget near completion
Construction plans and budget for the Centre were 70% finalized in 2008. This progress ensures that ground will be broken in 2009.
Sustainable Building Interpretation Centre
With the valued participation of Design+Communication, a museum planning and exhibit design firm, the Centre for Sustainable Development set about creating an Interpretation Centre, an educational space at the heart of the Centre. The Sustainable Building Interpretation Centre, cornerstone of the Équiterre sustainable building campaign, aims to accelerate the implementation of more sustainable practices in the construction and renovation industries. Visitors will be invited to discover tangible examples of what a green building is by following an interpretation trail that will criss-cross the Centre.
Partners
In 2008, the Centre for Sustainable Development concluded agreements with prominent partners that are contributing to its financing or have offered their services free of charge to bring the project to fruition.
The Centre for Sustainable Development also gained support from new sponsors in 2008. In addition, the firm Épisode joined the project in 2008 to implement a major funding campaign with the goal of raising $10 million.
Since 2007, the advertising and communication firms LG2 and Carat have been developing and executing the Centre’s communications strategies, especially with regard to raising awareness about the project, advertising placement and conducting fundraising with the general public.