In a highly competitive global market where clients are increasingly attuned to sustainable development and environmental issues, the most forward-thinking destinations are exploring options to mitigate the ecological concerns of the meeting and events industry.
Montréal is North America’ most popular destination for international conventions—and with that popularity comes an inevitable carbon footprint. To address environmental implications, Montréal has once again been certified to APEX/ASTM standards. Developed in partnership with Green Meetings and Events, the certification confirms the city's position as an environmentally sustainable destination.
What is the APEX certification?
The term “APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards” is a bit of a mouthful, but it’s meant to pay credit where credit is due. The standards were developed in collaboration between APEX (the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange) and ASTM (a certified international standard development organization).
The APEX/ASTM standard is specific to the meetings and events industry. The certification—which is valid for two years—confirms that a metropolis is an eco-responsible destination. Crafted by over 300 professionals from the business tourism industry, the APEX/ASTM standards are the first in North America to establish performance criteria for sustainable practices and responsible management systems used by tourism stakeholders in the meetings sector.
Note that, in the coming years, the certification will become known as the “Events Industry Council Sustainable Event Standards.”
How exactly does this offsetting program work?
Tourisme Montréal decided to offset emissions with Carbone Boréal, a greenhouse gas offset initiative and a research program at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. Tourisme Montréal donated a sum which permitted the allocation of 2,492 trees from one of the plantings of a research project. The plantings were carried out bare land in the boreal forest in northern Québec (north of Lac-Saint-Jean), where the forest does not regenerate on its own. Research forests are established there, in collaboration with the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs, while respecting the forest ecosystems and biodiversity of the boreal world.
Read this next: Montréal is the first Canadian city to join the Global Destination Sustainability Index
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