THE PORT OF QUÉBEC AND LE MONASTÈRE DES AUGUSTINES CARRY OUT A SHORELINE CLEANUP OPERATION OF THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
Québec City, September 14, 2022 – Proudly committed to the Défi Saint-Laurent program, the Port of Québec and Le Monastère des Augustines join forces today to carry out a major shoreline cleanup at Anse Brown. This initiative falls within the Opération Saint-Laurent project led by Stratégies Saint-Laurent and Mission 1000 tonnes. The activity is conducted in advance of the World Cleanup Day, which will be held on September 17.
"Each year, through the Défi Saint-Laurent and Opération Saint-Laurent programs, Stratégies Saint-Laurent mobilizes citizens, cities and industries to be part of the solution and help reduce the plastic footprint in our waterways and particularly in the St. Lawrence. One of the actions consists in the shoreline cleanup of the river where dozens of tons of waste are recovered every year. Since the fall of 2021, Opération Saint-Laurent has made it possible to organize some twenty cleanup operations like the one held today, where pollutants that have a proven impact on water quality and the St. Lawrence ecosystem are removed from shorelines. We are very proud to be able to count on the participation of the Port of Québec and Le Monastère des Augustines, who are thus contributing to the solution," explains Jean-Éric Turcotte, Executive Director of Stratégies Saint-Laurent.
"For the Port of Québec, this initiative draws on our will to ensure responsible and sustainable management of residual materials, which is one of the main commitments of our 2017-2022 Sustainable Development Action Plan. Since 2017, seven cleanup operations have been carried out in the port territory’s aquatic environment. Last year alone, we recovered nearly one ton of garbage with the help of our partners and 75 volunteers. We would like to thank Stratégies Saint-Laurent and Mission 1000 tonnes for helping us organize several of these activities, as well as Le Monastère des Augustines who joined us today," said Mario Girard, President and CEO of the Québec Port Authority.
"Le Monastère des Augustines is involved with Défi Saint-Laurent in order to protect the St. Lawrence River, an invaluable resource that is part of Québec’s natural heritage. We are pleased to take part in this initiative which allows us to renew our values with regards to sustainable development in a concrete way. Caring for the environment has been passed on to us by the Augustinian Sisters and this principle guides us in our decisions and actions on a daily basis," says Josée Laurence, Executive Director of Le Monastère des Augustines.
We thank the employees of the Port of Québec and Le Monastère des Augustines who answered the call to clean up the Anse Brown shorelines and thus contribute to the protection of the biodiversity of the St. Lawrence River.
About Port of Québec
The Port of Québec is among Canada’s five largest ports in terms of tonnage handled and economic spinoffs. It is strategically located to serve North America’s industrial and agricultural heartland. Each year, cargo ships from or to some fifty countries call at the Port of Québec to connect the Great Lakes and Midwestern U.S. markets to the rest of the world. Twenty percent of the port’s territory, which extends from Beauport to the South Shore, is dedicated to recreational activities and tourism.
About Monastère des Augustines
Le Monastère des Augustines offers a multitude of services in a historic building that has been restored to ensure the sustainability of the Augustinian Sisters heritage. Holding the highest 5-Green Key certification, sustainable development is one of the guiding principles of the project.
About Stratégies Saint-Laurent
Stratégies Saint-Laurent is a non-profit organization that brings together the ZIP committees of Québec. Its primary mission is to promote, through innovative models, the participation of riverside communities in the protection, rehabilitation, and enhancement of the St. Lawrence.
About Mission 1000 tonnes
Mission 1000 tonnes is an organization that aims to change the world by taking action to protect marine and aquatic ecosystems by removing waste from the world's oceans and waterways while working to promote reduction of various sources of waste. Four objectives define its mission: to remove 1000 tons of plastic waste from the planet's waterways, to raise awareness and mobilize for the protection of ecosystems, and to offer alternatives to the use of plastic.
Group of participants for the Anse Brown Shoreline Cleanup
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Source:
Frédéric Lagacé
Communications Director
Québec Port Authority
418 929-5031
[email protected]