This text is part of the special Environment section
Take our homes, for example. Having your own garden, swimming pool or home gym may seem tempting. But if we want to reduce our energy footprint, the green spaces and public facilities that surround us allow us to consume more efficiently, without giving up the pleasure of playing, training or relaxing. This way of life is also conducive to encounters and nourishes collective health.
Collaborative sharing
The social bond is also at the foundation of the project of the Montreal non-profit organization (NPO) Solon, which provides tools to gather around the socio-ecological transition in several neighborhoods of the metropolis. “We rely on collective action in the neighborhoods to make Montreal a model of an ecological, united and friendly city,” explains Magalie Paquet, who takes care of participatory communication at Solon.
By supporting shared projects built “by and for the people of the neighborhood” on different axes (geothermal energy, sustainable transport or public places), Solon gives citizens the power to act together. “When we meet with neighbors and try to find the best solution for everyone, it helps to find the one that is really suitable,” says Ms.me Pack.
One of the latest projects planted with the support of Solon is the Promenade arboricole collective, a course of trees to connect with the urban nature of its neighborhood. Other common spaces created in 2021, such as Station Youville (a free school parking lot, used to animate the Ahuntsic district with activities), have given rise to welcoming and ecological living environments.
Driving a car without owning it
It was in Quebec City that the first Communauto cars were shared in 1994. “Sometimes we need a car, but when we have to buy it, we become dependent on it,” observes Marco Viviani, vice- Chairman of Strategic Business Development. Our impact – environmental and urban planning (parking) in particular – then becomes disproportionate to our use.
According to studies conducted by researchers at Polytechnique Montréal, each Communauto car-sharing car replaces 10.2 private cars, and users use cars four times less than those who own a vehicle. Today, the application covers 15 cities or communities in Canada and serves four regions in Quebec: Montreal, Quebec, Gatineau and Sherbrooke. This month, Trois-Rivières will be added to the list.
Communauto will not stop there, but carsharing is easier to implement in cities that favor it (by adapting their parking rules, in particular). “The main difficulty is that unfortunately, in Quebec, the smallest towns, villages and suburbs have developed in a sparse manner. If we have to take the car to go get groceries, for example, we are less likely to use car sharing,” explains Marco Viviani, who is working to grow his network in Quebec by imagining models adapted to the various contexts of cities. .
“Sometimes the solution may interest another major player in the territory,” he points out. Like the University of Sherbrooke, which reserves Communauto cars for its employees during the week and for citizens on evenings and weekends.
Promote pedaling
9,550 Bixi bikes are distributed among more than 700 stations installed in Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Westmount and Mont-Royal, which should soon be joined by other municipalities, such as Montreal East, which has already announced it. Since its creation in 2009, the organization has provided 50 million trips. A quick and inexpensive means of transport, the Bixi bicycle “does not take up space, and people do not have to worry about maintenance and repair”, in addition to improving their health and lowering their energy consumption, says Christian Vermette, General Manager of Bixi Montreal.
Individual benefits that reflect on the community. “That’s fewer people clogging up the health system, with a lower travel cost for society than with any other type of transport,” he argues.
To deploy outside Montreal, the cities must agree to assume the cost of acquiring equipment. “It’s always a question of budget,” laments Christian Vermette, who urges mayors to invest in sending the right message to their citizens. “Last year, the government launched for the first time a program that subsidizes 50% of cities that acquire a self-service bicycle system. This had a significant impact, ”rejoices the one who was approached by municipalities spread across the province.
He also observes a change in lifestyle since the pandemic. Moreover, Bixi Montreal has just announced that trips in May 2022 almost doubled compared to the same month last year, and reported more than 50,000 daily trips for the first time in its history. A record start to the 2022 season in the Montreal region, while waiting for other cities to set foot on the pedal.