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The Palais des congrès de Montréal recently put together a Sustainability Innovation Committee made up of experts from establishments that include ten Québec universities.
The Committee’s purpose will be twofold: facilitating the sharing of knowledge between the Palais and the sustainability research being conducted in higher learning establishments, and identifying research partnership opportunities between the Palais and sustainability organizations.
“With this new blue ribbon committee, the Palais is asserting its role as a knowledge hub by rallying the expertise of sustainability specialists. We are pleased to be collaborating with the universities on innovative projects that will position Québec and the Palais as sustainability leaders,” said an enthusiastic Robert Mercure, President and CEO of the Palais des congrès de Montréal.
The representatives from various university institutions who sit on the Committee have been chosen for their experience with sustainability strategies:
Serge Beaudoin
Business Partnerships Director
Université de Sherbrooke
Patrick Cigana
Advisor, Sustainable Development
Polytechnique Montréal
Eric Duchemin
Associate Professor, Environmental Science Institute
Scientific Director, Urban Agriculture Lab
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) – AU/LAB
Julien-Pierre Lacombe
Advisor, Sustainable Development
École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)
Pierre Lemay
Advisor, Sustainable Development
Université Laval
Nicolas Merveille
Professor, Department of Strategy, Social and Environmental Responsibility, and at the Institute of Environmental Sciences
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) – ESG UQAM
François Miller
Sustainability Director, McGill Office of Sustainability
Université McGill
Karine Navilys
Sustainability Coordinator
HEC Montréal
Luc Surprenant
Advisor, Sustainable Development
Université de Montréal
Rebecca Tittler
Coordinator of the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability and of the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre
Université Concordia
Claude Villeneuve
Professor and Director of the Eco-Advisory Chair
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)
This group could see the addition of new members from other Québec universities.
The unveiling of the Committee comes on the heels of the Palais recently joining the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whose 17 goals to transform the world include the importance of working with partners.
In addition to putting together this Committee, the Palais also announced in April that its building is going carbon neutral, its support of Bourse de carbone Scol’ERE and their awareness-raising efforts in Montréal elementary schools, its new carbon offsets program for clients looking to shrink their environmental footprint, and its involvement in new research projects.
“We have the privilege of watching the world of tomorrow unfold within these walls and we firmly intend to continue to grow by fostering sustainable practices. Various initiatives are in place, and we’re just getting started,” mentioned Christian Ruel, Vice-President of Finance & Administration and Chief of Sustainability.