The Council of Arts and Letters of Quebec (CALQ) and that of Montreal launched together in 2021 a program of “Support for eco-responsible projects”. One million dollars over three years. In Montreal, an additional point is awarded for the evaluation of a grant application from a company for its eco-responsibility. At the CALQ, bidding companies document their carbon footprint. To receive greenbacks from arts grants, will it now be necessary to create green? A look at the first initiatives of donors towards ecological transition.
“Artists play a fundamental role in society and in its changes. It is essential that they are in the environmental discussion, ”said Julien Valmary, director of support and philanthropy at the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM). For him, looking at the eco-responsibility of the arts is necessary, even if this sector is far from being the most polluting. “It is the artists who ensure the narration of reality and who shape the imagination. They are ahead on these issues. »
Anne-Marie Jean, President and CEO of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ), adds: “They were visionaries of sustainable development, even whistleblowers. »
“The artists naturally came to ask themselves how, concretely, they could act, continues the thinking head of the CALQ. The first to tell us about it were the organizers of festivals and events, who recognize themselves among the biggest polluters of culture. »
Forest green and creative green
From one discussion to another, the CALQ launched a pilot project last year, with some forty volunteer artistic organizations. They now use a digital platform, CreativeGreen.
Developed by the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, adapted for Quebec by the Quebec Council for Eco-responsible Events, this tool — paid for by the CALQ — makes it possible to calculate the carbon footprint left by a company.
“We are really in the documentation phase, continues Mme Jeans. You have to know where you are starting from to think how to act. We will have a new cohort of organizations added to this project this year, and another in 2024.”
The goal is for all operating supported organizations to use this platform in 2028. Each organization will thus be “in comparison only with itself,” says Ms.me Jeans.
This calculation of the footprint, is it not an addition too much for artistic companies with small means? “It’s true that it takes time and resources,” admits Anne-Marie Jean.
The intention is to act as quickly and as concretely as possible, while respecting the environment, still affected by the impacts of the pandemic.
“We are aware of it. That’s why we started with organizations that wanted to engage in this work, and had planned to do so; with those who are the most advanced in their thinking on eco-responsibility. »
Then comes the stage of the footprint reduction plan. Some are already there, underlines Mme Jean, because not everyone progresses at the same pace.
And there are still irreducible actions. “A tour, in Quebec or abroad, is an activity absolutely necessary for cultural development today. But we can already find better ways of doing things, by changing the means of transport, for example. »
Rumors are actively circulating, announcing tight environmental criteria that would arrive at the CALQ in 2025. “We will not make drastic gestures, assures Mme Jeans. We know that juries of peers are sensitive to eco-responsible projects, that they may find them more attractive, but we are not taking action there. »
Remuneration and sustainable development
For its part, the CAM is beginning to integrate eco-responsible encouragement, explains Julien Valmary. “Eco-responsibility is a request made to us by the community. »
An environment already in motion. Écoscéno, the Festival TransAmériques, the Jean-Duceppe company, Aux Écuries, the Quebec Theater Council are among those who are at the forefront of the reflection, names Mr. Valmary. “But it’s a mutual effort, and we’re all going through this together. »
The CAM plans to integrate eco-responsible criteria for 2025. For the moment, a pilot project awards 1 additional point during the peer review. Isn’t it debatable that an institution adds this data, even for a small point? “We really represent the community,” says Mr. Valmary, without however mentioning the position of power that a funder necessarily possesses, even if he is well rooted in his community.
“The intention is to act as quickly and as concretely as possible, while respecting the environment, still affected by the impacts of the pandemic. We must reassure, support, put in place measures that encourage best practices, recalls Mr. Valmary. Social justice and climate justice must be linked. The poorest populations will be the most affected by the impacts of climate change, and artists are among them. »
The Canada Council for the Arts (CCA) did not respond to the interview request of the Duty. ” The details [des] progress made, by and within the arts sector, as we actively work in collaboration with artists and partners to ensure the creation of a greener arts sector and encourage solutions related to climate responsibility, will be shared as soon as ‘it will be possible to do so,’ the organization said in writing.