April 16, 2008 – As of 2009, municipalities in Quebec will be able to advertise themselves as “ecomunicipality”. To obtain this title, they will have to accomplish a certain number of environmental actions.
Launched as part of Quebec Earth Day1, the Ecomunicipality Program will aim to encourage elected municipal officials and citizens to take action to promote a healthy environment. It will officially come into force in the spring of 2009.
Why municipalities? “They represent the entity closest to us, a local government with which we can intervene as citizens to influence political orientations and decisions,” says Jacques Languirand, spokesperson for Jour de la Terre Québec.
Concrete actions
After a consultation, which will be conducted with elected municipal officials until the fall of 2008, ten environmental or sustainable development actions that can be put forward will be established.
As of 2009, registered municipalities will be able to obtain “ecomunicipality” recognition if they apply at least three of the ten actions. The higher the number of actions implemented over the years, the greater the degree of recognition granted.
Here are some examples of concrete actions:
- Adopt a water policy and ensure its responsible use, or apply a policy to protect banks and watercourses.
- Set up a three-way selective waste collection2 or offer the tools to promote home composting.
- Establish a permanent and free disposal site for hazardous household waste (HHW), or organize at least one annual HHW collection in smaller municipalities.
- Develop a functional, fast and safe cycling network to various service points.
Promote citizen involvement
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the Earth day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970, in the United States. Today, the event is celebrated in 184 countries. In Quebec, Earth Day has been celebrated since 1995. |
The Ecomunicipality Program also includes a “component to raise awareness of municipal democracy,” explains the director of Jour de la Terre Québec, Pierre Lussier.
“We particularly want to encourage young people to vote in municipal elections, and also to participate in local democracy for environmental purposes, to breathe green ‘pep’ into the cities,” he says.
To do this, the organization will conduct a campaign to encourage people to vote between 18 and 35 years old as of 2009 and, thereafter, each municipal election year. “We will also create tools to facilitate the procedures of young people wishing to enter the political arena as a leaders green, ”adds Pierre Lussier.
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Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. To find out about Earth Day activities in Quebec: www.jourdelaterre.org [consulté le 16 avril 2008].
2. The three-way collection consists of collecting household waste, recyclable materials as well as organic materials (dead leaves, grass and food residues which will go to composting).
