PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU BECOMES THE FIRST TERRITORY OUTSIDE EUROPE TO OBTAIN THE ECOCERT ECOLOGICAL AREA LABEL

MONTREAL, Oct. 12, 2023 /CNW/ - The Société du parc Jean-Drapeau (SPJD) is proud to announce that nearly 75% of the Park's territory* has been awarded the Ecological Area label by Ecocert Environment, which aims to promote green space management practices in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. This recognition, the first of its kind outside the European continent, reflects our ongoing commitment to sustainable development, which is at the heart of the Park's transformation. 

"By obtaining this label, the SPJD is renewing its commitment to a process of continuous improvement of sustainable management practices in its territory. This announcement is part of a vision for the future aimed at making Parc Jean-Drapeau a laboratory for best practices in sustainable development and a major player in the fight against climate change", said Véronique Doucet, General Director of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau.

" This certification is the culmination of a rigorous process, during which many of our teams worked closely together. With this label, we are giving ourselves the necessary means to preserve the Park's natural heritage in a sustainable way, for the benefit of present and future generations", added Karel Mayrand, President of the Board of Directors of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau.

As part of the Ecological Area labelling process, the Park has undertaken a series of actions aimed at ensuring the sustainable management of its site, including the differentiated management of its grassy areas for the benefit of biodiversity; the absence of products that cannot be used in organic farming; and the implementation of activities focused on the environment. In addition, these initiatives contribute to the fight against climate and biodiversity crises and testify to the sustained work of the various SPJD teams in the transition of their practices.

For Sébastien Houle, General Manager of Ecocert Canada, the promotion of the labeling process contributes to the sustainability of the initiatives: "For our clients, the commitment is constant and long-term since the approach requires a continuous mobilization of staff in order to ensure the transition of certain practices towards compliance with the label's standard. The vision of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau is a great example to all of us and we congratulate the entire team that contributes to its realization. We hope that other land management societies in Canada will follow suit."

For more than 17 years, the Ecological Area label ? issued by Ecocert Environment ? has been the guarantee of a real ecological management of green spaces. It provides a solution to the sustainable development problems of companies and communities, and responds to citizens' concerns by informing them about the environmental quality of the sites visited.

The label is divided into 10 themes: Landscape, Biodiversity, Water, Soil, Air, Noise, Energy, Waste, Materials and Products and finally Social and Human Aspects.

More than 150 green spaces have been awarded the label in Europe and more than 7,800 hectares of ecological green spaces have been certified by Ecocert since the creation of the label in 2006.

Belonging to the Ecocert group, Ecocert Canada has been present in territory for more than 30 years. Through an international network of 37 subsidiaries in more than 130 countries, the Ecocert Group encourages many organizations in the deployment and promotion of sustainable practices.

Committed to organic farming since its creation, Ecocert has now extended its action to many sectors of activity: agriculture and agri-food, cosmetics and textiles, environmental management, etc. Ecocert Environment is also the group's subsidiary dedicated to environmental certification and fair trade, and issues the Ecocert Ecological Area label.

By selecting labels with demanding environmental and societal criteria, Ecocert aims to act collectively for a sustainable world.

Established by the City of Montréal, the mission of the Société du parc Jean-Drapeau is to conserve, develop, enhance, and develop this large public urban park, to ensure the healthy coexistence of the activities that take place there and to ensure its sustainability for current and future generations.

* The landscape entities that have obtained the label include Mont Boullé, the fort on Île Ste-Hélène, the Le Petit Prince garden, the Aquatic Complex, Espace 67, the Place des Nations and Swan Lake, the Buttes, the Shore of the Bridges, the Piedmont, the Expo-Express bridge, the Cosmos footbridge, the parking lot of the Service Pavilion, the Olympic Basin, the Athletes' Quarter, the parterre of the Tunisian Pavilion, the Notre-Dame parterre, the canal gardens, the filter marshes, the beach park, the Longue-Rive of Île Notre-Dame. The landscape entities of La Ronde, the Casino, the Biosphere and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve are excluded from the labelled perimeter.

SOURCE SOCIETE DU PARC JEAN-DRAPEAU