The Port of Montreal invests in greening
The Port of Montreal is joining forces with Soverdi and Alliance forêt urbaine to extend the canopy of greenery on its lands. As a first step, this new partnership will plant 375 trees. Accordingly, the Port of Montreal joins about a hundred private partners already active in the greening of private and institutional lands in Montreal, the company said in its press release.
Planting new trees is part of the Port of Montreal’s commitment to improve the quality of life of its employees and the neighbourhood, as well as to take solid action for the environment. To do so, the Port of Montreal together with Soverdi is development a greening plan that revolves around three strategic principles: the renaturalization of sites interfacing with the river for ecological conservation and riverbank stabilization; consolidation of the Port’s institutional image through a formal redevelopment including a broad range of species and the optimal association of plants with neighbourhoods to create green filters composed of various plant textures.
Along with improving the landscape, the interventions will have effects that include reducing heat islands and improving air quality. For Malin Anagrius, Executive Director of Soverdi, “the involvement of major landowners is the key to carrying out greening projects whose tree cover generates real long-term benefits for the quality of life of a neighbourhood and for the health of its residents and visitors.”
As a major player in the Montreal landscape, this is one of the ways the Port of Montreal is leading the way in integrating responsible practices into its activities. By improving the existing development of its land, it wants to inspire other landowners to plant more trees so that their benefits spread throughout the district. “ The Port of Montreal is a unique and important economic engine for Montreal and Quebec. For the cities and districts along its borders, it is also a neighbour. An industrial neighbour, to be sure, but one that always strives to reduce its environmental footprint and to live as harmoniously as possible with the community. In keeping with this, we take solid steps to reduce our environmental footprint and to beautify the spaces along our port facilities. At the Port of Montreal, the principles of sustainable development are at the heart of our operations. This partnership with Soverdi in the greening of Montreal’s landscape is a perfect fit with our approach,” said Sylvie Vachon, President and CEO of the Montreal Port Authority.
The planting of hundreds of trees at the Port of Montreal officially closes the 2017 planting season of Alliance forêt urbaine. It is also an opportunity to showcase the greening effort of many players who invest in the greening of private and institutional land and who are committed to enriching and protecting the urban forest. “We have an extremely ambitious goal, namely to plant 300,000 trees by 2025, and we need the collaboration of all our partners to make it happen. Trees are necessary for our well-being, to clean the air, to cool down urban heat islands and to better manage rainwater. Residents’ health and quality of life are depend on them directly,” said Luc Ferrandez, the Executive Committee member responsible for large parks, sustainable development, green spaces and large projects for the City of Montreal.
About Soverdi and Alliance forêt urbaine
The Société de verdissement du Montréal métropolitain (Soverdi) is an NPO that implements urban greening strategies to improve people’s health and quality of life. In partnership with the City of Montreal, the organization has accepted the ambition challenge of the Canopy Action Plan to plant 300,000 trees on the Island of Montreal by 2025. Of this number, Soverdi is coordinating, in collaboration with its partners in Alliance forêt urbaine, the planting of 180,000 trees on private and institutional properties.
The Alliance is a group of 50 organizations created in 2012 by Soverdi to implement the private and institutional component of the City of Montreal’s Canopy Action Plan. A vital source of greening in Montreal, it is Montreal’s largest forum promoting tree planting. Thanks to its members from various fields of action and the complementarity of their expertise, Alliance Forêt urbaine extends everywhere in Montreal and mobilizes players in the institutional sectors (education, health, culture and heritage) and the private sector (residential and community, industrial and commercial).
About the Port of Montreal
Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. It is a leading container port served by the largest container shipping lines in the world.
The Port of Montreal has its own rail network directly dockside. It is connected to the two national rail networks and a highway system. The Port operates a passenger terminal. All other terminals are run by private stevedoring firms. Port activity supports 16,000 jobs and generates $2.1 billion in economic benefits annually.
