A partnership between the STM and ÉQUITERRE

Press release


 

A partnership between the STM and ÉQUITERRE
to promote public transportation

Montreal, May 1, 2008- On tour to unveil an articulated bus prototype and a biodiesel-electric hybrid bus, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) and ÉQUITERRE announced this morning that they had signed a partnership agreement aimed at promoting sustainable development projects involving public transportation.

These projects can be promoted in a variety of ways, such as having one of the two lending their support to the other one’s project, campaign or event, or by carrying out joint campaigns focussed on sustainable development. For example, the STM already supports Équiterre’s « Je m’active dans mon quartier » and « Cocktail transport » campaigns, and both organizations will continue to unite their efforts, when timely, during public events and shows aimed at promoting public transportation.

“An association between the STM and ÉQUITERRE is self-evident because of our common interest in both sustainable development and public transportation. Our cooperation will translate into actions such as the creation of an advisory committee whose mission will be to develop and monitor the implementation of sustainable development at the STM, to take part in round tables specifically linked to certain projects, including the development of a commercial ethics code and of fair and responsible procurement practices,” declared the Chairman of the STM Board of Directors, Claude Trudel.

“Équiterre has been promoting sustainable transportation for some ten years through a number of public awareness and action projects. For us, the matter of transportation is at the very heart of sustainable development and the struggle against climate change, as it alone is responsible for nearly 40% of greenhouses gas emissions in Québec,” contends Sidney Ribaux, Équiterre’s General Coordinator.

“By virtue of its basic mission, the Société de transport de Montréal provides a crucial means of taking on these challenges. In the past, Équiterre and the STM have occasionally joined forces to promote mass transportation and reduced car usage,” reminded Mr. Ribaux. “Because we share common values and goals, our cooperation has always seemed a natural one. The partnership announced today will serve to facilitate and consolidate this cooperation. It will also give us the opportunity to influence the STM when it draws up its own sustainable development strategy, and to inspire it through our vision.”

“We are quite pleased to be working with ÉQUITERRE, a source of inspiration, and I am convinced that, with respect to sustainable development, we can go even further together,” concluded Mr. Trudel.

Indeed, the STM signed the Charter on Sustainable Development, initiated by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) and, in that regard, made a commitment in March 2007 to integrate sustainable development in its ways of doing business.

As a result, the STM has chosen biodiesel to fuel its fleet of vehicles, has included ecological elements in its construction projects, and is currently testing hybrid buses, among others. Public transportation is, without a doubt, a structuring way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the STM wants to assume a leadership position in that respect.

Équiterre helps to build a grassroots movement by persuading citizens, organizations and governments to act fairly, ecologically and with solidarity (www.equiterre.org).

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