Eco-responsability

AN ECO-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL

Our Eurêka! mission involves social issues and sensitizing current and future generations to science and technology.

So it makes sense that eco-friendly practices, respect for nature and ecosystems, awareness of clean technologies, reducing the effects of our activities on the environment, and maximizing benefits to society are at the heart of our programming and the organization of our events.

Here are the actions that L’île du savoir and all its scientific collaborators are taking to minimize the event’s ecological footprint.

Note : This symbol ♦ identifies actions that we ask of Eurêka’s scientific collaborators.

Our Eco-friendly Partner :

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WHAT’S NEW IN 2022

• Displaying the program map and schedule on the Festival site and website and encouraging festival-goers to copy them to their cellphones to avoid distribution of hard copies

• Using reusable bibs (rather than t-shirts) to identify volunteers

• Having a green squad on the site

• After the event, offering non-reusable coroplast panels to teachers who can give them a second life with their students

• Contributing to the Parc Jean-Drapeau’s Fonds Oxygène

Programming

• Every year, choosing social themes that raise awareness and stimulate discussion on issues related to the ecological transition (2019: sustainable mobility; 2022: water; 2023: projected theme: green energy)

• Proposing activities to educate and raise awareness on various issues related to the environment and sustainable development ♦

• Using local organizations, artists and stakeholders as much as possible

• Offering online employee training to avoid non-essential travel

• Encouraging best practices in activities and demonstrations (not distributing promotional material, reducing residual waste, etc.).

Transportation

• On the Eurêka! website, providing all the necessary information on getting to the Festival by public transport

• Holding the event near the metro

• Encouraging our partners to use carpooling and public transport ♦

• Encouraging visitors to use responsible and active modes of transportation (cycling, BIXI, walking, carpooling, public transit, river shuttles); promoting this in our communication tools ♦

Water Consumption

• Raising awareness and encouraging visitors, employees, stakeholders, volunteers and partners to bring a water bottle

• No sale of plastic water bottles on site

• Instaling a drinking water station for filling water bottles and avoiding consumption of plastic bottles

• Indicating that water from fountains with taps is safe to drink

• Totally eliminating the use of polystyrene cups in dressing rooms and installing rented water dispensers, carafes or reusable cups instead of distributing bottled water

Reducing Paper Consumption

• Considerably reducing print tools; elimination of the paper program in 2022 (the full festival program and activity plan will be available only on the website and on signage)

• When necessary, using FSC-certified paper made from 100% recycled fibres ♦

• Default duplex printing ♦

• School registration forms online only

Waste Reduction

• Installation of mulitstream recycling stations (waste, recycling)

• Sorting of residual materials

• Green squad on the site to raise public awareness about sorting residual materials

• Donating unclaimed lost items to social organizations at the end of the Festival

• Using compostable or reusable dishes for the food offer

• Distributing food surpluses to volunteers, the team, or organizations

• Encouraging students, teachers and families to bring zero waste lunches

Consuming Locally

• Opting for local suppliers for equipment rental

• Using local, sustainable, organic and vegetarian suppliers as much as possible for the food offer

Signaling

• Giving a second or even a third life to reusable signage ♦

• Reusing information kiosks, signage and structures

• Prioritizing rental, rather than purchase, of equipment and signage structures ♦

Promotional Tools

• Limiting distribution of leaflets to our collaborators (by request only) and discouraging the distribution of promotional items ♦

• When necessary, adequately estimating quantities of leaflets before printing, and favouring a digital format

• Giving priority to reusable or reused, recyclable or recycled activity materials, etc. ♦

• Avoiding packaging but, if necessary, favouring minimal packaging that is zero waste, reusable or made from recycled materials ♦

• Encouraging digital, rather than paper, media for our sponsors in order to offer them more dynamic visibility and easy updates

Other Eco-friendly Actions

• Analyzing purchases in terms of actual needs in order to reduce the consumption of material goods during the next edition

• Adding an “Environmental Commitment” clause to the letters of agreement with our collaborators ♦

• The offices of L’île du savoir are located in a LEED-BE Silver certified building

• Engaging in training on sustainable development in order to stay abreast of best practices and pursue our efforts to reduce our ecological footprint as much as possible

• Informing all participants and employees about our eco-friendly measures and posting our actions on our website and our social networks before the Festival.

• Contributing to the Fonds Oxygène: by producing the Festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau offsets the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the event; 3% of space rental fees and the cost of parking tickets will go to the Fonds Oxygène, whose goal is to build a healthy and sustainable future for Parc Jean-Drapeau by promoting a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.