Turning green for the Quebec Games

The members of the organising committee took large measures to avoid waste. During the preparations for the Games, the committee did not send printed documents to the sporting regions. They requested USB flash drives instead for delegation leaders and sent them by mail.

At the cafeteria, the organising committee implemented a system of collecting leftover food, thanks to Consortium Écho-Logique, a company that specialises in recycling. At the end of each meal, they took their carts and the employees from Consortium Écho-Logique took the leftovers to put them in different collection bins. The rest were converted into compost materials. The plates were made of recyclable material.

Each athlete received a water flask as a welcome gift. According to Sept-Îles Mayor Ghislain Lévesque, saving water bottles will be a considerable effort during the Games this year. “During the finals, approximately 90,000 water bottles shall have been used - there was a lot of waste”, he explained. “With the flasks, we believe we will need 70,000 bottles less.”

In all areas of the competition, there were collection bins for plastic bottles.

In the press room, the results were not printed, unlike the other finals. With the Quebec Games web site, the reporters had access to all the results they needed.

The idea of introducing a green theme at the Quebec Games was conceived by organisers as soon as they filed their applications. “We wanted to have an idea that would reflect our application and it looks like it worked”, said Mr. Lévesque.

Subsequently, the Consortium Écho-Logique company contacted the organising committee. As specialists in the management of residual waste during large sporting events, they are visible in majority of Montreal events and were present even in the Grand Prix Formula One Races.

“This was the first time we made contact with the Quebec Games and we hope that this collaboration will continue for a long time”, said Claude Marrié, spokesman for Consortium Écho-Logique. The company is presently negotiating with area hosts and the negotiations are already dealing with the 2009 winter finals. More than 35 people are part of the Éco-Patrouille that handles the collection from all sites.

The City of Sept-Îles is very much aware of environmental concerns. Bordering the St. Lawrence River, this municipality of 25,000 habitants is ahead of several Quebec municipalities. “We’ve been collecting for the last 25 years”, Sept-Îles Mayor Ghislain Lévesque announced.

For the Quebec Games, the Mayor wanted to maximise on an original niche. “With the finals we hope to influence the next area host”, he added.

Mr. Lévesque intends to continue the awareness campaign with his constituents. “It’s good to speak about it, but we must take action too”, he stressed.