A “Carbon Care” Success for the 2014 Festival intercollégial de Théâtre of the André-Grasset College

By Isabelle Autre, Bc.Sc., M.Env.
Technical Advisor

Festival_ENG1The Festival intercollégial de théâtre is an annual event regrouping young students from all over Quebec. This year, the event was held at the André-Grasset College in Montreal and welcomed more than 200 students from nineteen different colleges and CÉGEP.

Proactive in the environmental field, the College possesses its own environmental management policy, is certified « Cégep Vert – Niveau excellence » and created in 2004 the Committee for environmental action and consultation. On a day-to-day basis, one of the College’s priorities is to offer the best possible work field to its students by the implementation of its environmental action plan which includes an environmental fund, sensitization activities, installation of multi-bins, use of 100 % recycled office paper and the creation of the éco-lab, a new platform for the emergence of environmental ideas and activities. In continuity with its environmental vision, the André-Grasset College decided to make this 2014 edition of the festival, the first certified as Carbon CareTM Carbon-Neutral.

Greenhouse Gas Inventory of the Event

With the collaboration of Enviro-access, the College proceeded to the quantification of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the event. The GHG inventory[1] was elaborated by including those emission sources:

  • Electricity consumption in buildings
  • Consumption of fossil fuels in buildings
  • Consumption of fossil fuels in motorised vehicle used by participants
  • Consumed fossil fuel production

With before and after the event gathered data, GHG emissions were quantified and represent 6.3 tons of CO2eq. Here is an overview of emissions by categories:

Festival_ENG2

Festival_ENG3

Certified Carbon CareTM Carbon-neutral

The Enviro-access’ Carbon CareTM Carbon-neutral certification recognizes organizer’s efforts to responsibly manage and reduce the GHG emissions of a given event. Through this certification, Enviro-access confirms that the event organizer is sensitive to the issue of climate change and proactive in its emissions management. With the elaboration of the festival’s GHG emissions inventory, the College covered the first step to get the certification. To demonstrate its commitment to hold a Carbon CareTM Carbon-neutral event, the College decided to undergo several actions helping in the prevention and the reduction of GHG emissions. Here are those initiatives:

  • Encouraging every participant to carpool or use public transit (buses) rather than individual car to get to the College;
  • All participants were lodged on site;
  • Accompanying adults not lodged on site were given a free pass for the Société de Transport de Montréal services;
  • Local food was favored in all meals;
  • Reusable dishes were used in priority, and recyclable and compostable dishes were also used when necessary in order to reduce waste sent to landfills;
  • Distribution of a reusable water bottle to each participant.

In addition, the College has compensated the 6.3 tons of CO2eq generated during the event by the purchase of certified Gold Standard carbon credits with CO2 Environnement. More than only certifying this event Carbon CareTM Carbon-neutral, this action helps bring a better environment for everyone.

Congratulations to the André-Grasset College for this excellent initiative!



[1] This GHG inventory of the Festival intercollégial de théâtre 2014 was prepared according to the International Standard ISO 14064-1:2006. The scope of this inventory includes all installations used for the event. The methodology was consolidated according to a control approach. Emission sources included in that control approach are the following: used vehicles, building and occupied spaces for the event.

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