Sustainable Transportation
- Transportation Cocktail Contest
- Active in My Neighbourhood
- "Libre comme l’air" Bike Tour
- Battle Against the A25 Extension
Transportation has a major impact on the environment and on citizens’ quality of life. In 2008, Équiterre organized awareness activities to promote the development of active and public transportation. These projects have proven to be crucial, as transportation is the greatest source of greenhouses gases in Québec.
Transportation Cocktail Contest
A contest to raise awareness
The fifth annual contest was held from September 2 to November 12, 2008. Through this Québec-wide event, more than 100,000 people became aware of the advantages of alternative transportation methods over individual cars.
By bike, bus, foot-propelled scooter, train… or on ostrichback (!) thousands of citizens were invited to create their own customized transportation “cocktail.”
Credit for the pictures: Fanny Lasselin. Art work: Ekorce atelier créatif
New photo and video section
Citizens were invited to share their photo and video handiwork on the Équiterre site. More than 150 participants from all over Québec answered the call and submitted their images of transportation cocktails. The public and a jury chose three winners.
Winning video – People’s Choice: Vue d’ici by Élyse Gamache-Belisle
Winning video – Jury’s Choice: Pour que ça roule by Stéphane Groleau
Winning Photo: Cocktail Vert by Raul Dario Acosta
Active in My Neighbourhood
Walking or biking to run errands around the neighbourhood provides many benefits, especially for the environment, health, quality of life and the local economy. The Active in My Neighbourhood campaign encourages citizens, business owners, employers and local decision-makers to take steps in their living environments so that everyone can enjoy these advantages.
The campaign is in full swing. Launched in 2006 in Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough, it spread to four other neighbourhoods in 2008: Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Lachine, Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and Mercier-Est. Thanks to the drive of our new partners, another 260,000 citizens, along with dozens of local supporters, will become more aware of the issues affecting active transportation and local purchasing.
In 2008, Équiterre developed the Citizen-agents for Change initiative, which provides online tools to support people who want to initiate change in their own living environment.
Download the PDF >>>
"Libre comme l’air" Bike Tour
The annual Équiterre bicycle tour brings together cyclists of all levels and from all over Québec for one weekend to discover the scenery, the flavours and the craftspeople of the region they are exploring, as well as a multitude of related environmental and social issues. From August 8 to 10, 2008, the Lanaudière region charmed some 200 participants.
The values that marked the course of the 150-kilometre tour:
• raising awareness of environmental and social problems;
• promoting the local economy;
• highlighting the attractions of this area of Québec;
• forging links among participants and between people from urban and rural areas;
• developing partnerships with local participants.
Download the PDF >>>
Battle Against the Highway 25 Extension
Équiterre, the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal and Greenpeace joined forces to try to prevent the Québec government and developers from building the bridge to extend Highway 25. In spite of their efforts to rally supporters and their application for a court injunction, the work was allowed to legally proceed. The government has achieved its goal: to circumvent the environment act and undermine its own plans to fight climate change by allowing an extra 150,000 vehicles to enter Montréal every day.