Check out our fall program!
We’ve put together another varied program for you this fall. A hub for meetings, discussion and innovation to promote sustainable development, the Centre holds panel discussions, round tables, special events, talks and exhibitions to empower, inform and inspire you.
Talks
What if beauty made you happy? Authors François Cardinal and Pierre Thibault will try to answer this question at Et si la beauté rendait heureux. We’ll also discuss the joys of living in a built environment that considers quality of life for all to be essential (October 4).
At L’acceptabilité sociale, un projet à la fois [Social acceptability: One project at a time] Hydro-Québec will talk about how it promotes the social acceptability of projects, for example, by implementing its public participation process, an approach that has been developed over the years (November 21).
Urban nutritionist Bernard Lavallée will discuss the environmental impact of food at Sauver la planète une bouchée à la fois [Save the planet, one bite at a time], a talk based on his first bestseller (November 30).
There’ll be more Cataléthique cocktail-and-talk events this autumn, too: Financement participatif, rayonnement entrepreneurial [Crowd-funding to promote your business] (September 14), Acceptabilité sociale: Sans oui, c’est non [Social acceptability: No support, no project] (October 12) and S’inspirer de la nature en affaires: De la symbiose industrielle au biomimétisme appliqué [Business inspired by nature: From industrial symbiosis to applied biomimicry (November 9).
Panels and round tables
We’ll be holding various workshops, panel discussions and round tables on topical issues, including Vivre en Ville’s Planifier un développement urbain viable autour du REM [Planning sustainable urban development around the rapid transit system] (September 19) and Quels grands gestes d’aménagement pour l’Est de Montréal? [Major development actions in eastern Montreal] (November 14).
On the eve of the 2017 elections, the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal [Montreal regional council for the environment] will share the top environmental challenges facing the Island of Montreal identified by the local community in Élections 2017 – Quels enjeux environnementaux pour l’Île de Montréal? [2017 Elections: What are the environmental issues facing the Island of Montreal?] (October 17).
Planned obsolescence is a concern and we’d like to explore it at OuiShare Québec’s Rendez-vous sur l’Obsolesence. Experts, including Équiterre, will be discussing the matter with people who want to find potential solutions[cw1] (October 19).
“Alternative facts” figured prominently in world media during Brexit campaigns and the U.S. presidential election recently. How do we adapt to this phenomenon and how do we fight it? Why is fake news so popular? COPTICOM’s panel discussion, Communiquer à l’ère des Fake News et des faits alternatifs [Communicating in the era of fake news and alternative facts] will bring together various experts—academics, journalists, scientists and public relations officers—to discuss the matter (October 24).
Special events
Are you a thrill seeker? Amnesty International invites you to take part in a charity challenge, Sauter pour la liberté [Jump for freedom]. This is your chance to downclimb the Centre. It’ll be an unforgettable experience. Not just because you’ll have overcome your fears, but because you’ll be helping to defend the most important thing in life: freedom (October 14).
Don’t miss our green Christmas market! ENvironnement JEUnesse will host the Salon des artisans récupérateurs (SAR) at the Centre from December 1 to 3. This great annual event brings together over 50 of Quebec’s green designers. You’ll find all kinds of treasures: clothing, jewellery, fashion accessories, household items, decorations, furniture and other unusual finds for little ones and adults alike.
To wind up the year in style—and due to popular demand—we’ll be holding the 5@7 Célibaterre *SPÉCIAL NOËL* [Singles happy hour: CHRISTMAS SPECIAL] just before Santa’s arrival to bring together singles who share social and environmental values (December 7).
Movie nights
Organized in collaboration with the David Suzuki Foundation, these evenings are always very popular. You’ll have another chance to watch A Plastic Ocean, a compelling adventure documentary that examines the global impact of our throwaway society. Think you can just use plastic and then recycle it? Think again! (October 26)
Exhibitions
Plancton vivant! [Living plankton]: September 6 to October 1. Plankton is a collection of multicoloured organisms whose mysterious shapes and natural beauty are awe-inspiring. Christian Sardet and Les Macronautes combine art and science to create pictures of these fascinating creatures and their photos of this unknown ecosystem in the planet’s oceans will amaze you. They are part of a photographic project carried out on various expeditions on the St. Lawrence and the Gulf.
Un dernier baiser pour la route... [One more kiss for the road]: October 4 to 24. Montrealer Nicolas Narbonne presents a series of paintings that reflect our most intimate relationships with the environment. You’ll see animals that have been hit or run over by cars, or whose environment has been disturbed by humans. Here, the artist depicts our sad relationship with nature.
Nenets, nomades au bord de la sédentarisation [Nenets: Nomads on the edge of the sedentary world]: November 7 to December 6. Photographer Fabrice Dimier’s work is a reflection on the link between the exploitation of natural resources and the disruption of indigenous peoples’ lifestyles. Between the Arctic Circle and Kara Sea, 40,000 Nenets live in the heart of a 770,000-km2 white desert. Only 8,000 of them are still nomads. Their traditional lifestyle has changed very little, but their relationship with the Russian Federation has evolved. The subsoil holds 90% of Russian gas. Gas infrastructure and towns are progressively damaging the tundra. And to negotiate rights-of-way, gas companies are spending millions to build homes, health facilities and schools.
As part of this event, the Centre and Équiterre have also invited John Cree from Kanehsatà:ke to talk about his community’s fight for land rights and resistance to mining and pipeline projects in traditional unceded territory of the Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk).
Other projects
You can take a self-guided interpretive tour of the building during opening hours or a free guided tour every Friday compliments of Hydro-Québec. Équiterre also offers guided group tours, which cost $300 ($200 for school groups and small non-profit organizations).
Whether it’s to help you eat less meat or waste less food, our representatives are always on hand to answer any questions. The Ma Maison Durable [Sustainable living] campaign, launched last autumn to highlight the Centre’s fifth anniversary, will continue with tips and tricks for living a green lifestyle.
Thanks
We’d like to thank our main program partner, Hydro-Québec, as well as the City of Montreal, Métro newspaper, NOVAE and Planetair. We’d also like to thank collaborators Amnesty International; urban nutritionist Bernard Lavallée; Cataléthique; COPTICOM Strategy and Public Relations; the Conseil régional de l’environnement de Montréal; Équiterre; ENvironnement JEUnesse; the David Suzuki Foundation; Pierre Thibault and François Cardinal; Vivre en Ville; and WWF-Canada. Proud partner of the City of Montréal and Sustainable Montréal 2016–2020.
