Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is the first historic hotel in Canada to achieve carbon neutrality, thanks to a partnership with Université Laval.
“As the owner of the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, (we are) very proud,” says Charles-Antoine Lussier, senior vice-president, residential and hotels, at Ivanhoé Cambridge. “Ivanhoé Cambridge is committed to finding sustainable solutions to reduce its carbon footprint while increasing its positive impact in the communities where the company operates.”
The agreement between the hotel and higher education institution will contribute significantly to the advancement of knowledge and science in the fight against climate change. Specifically, it will make it possible to continue planting trees to help maintain and improve the carbon capture capacity of Montmorency Forest; create a support fund for training and research in forest practices, contributing to the fight against climate change in the Montmorency Forest and, in particular, the creation of a $10,000 masters scholarship; and support innovative projects that promote the sustainable development of communities.
“Through this partnership, the Château Frontenac helps support new knowledge developed by students and by the research teams working on Montmorency Forest,” explains Rénald Bergeron, vice-rector for external affairs, international affairs and health at Université Laval. “These are mainly linked to the faculty of forestry, geography and geomatics.”
Montmorency Forest is a unique research and teaching laboratory in the boreal biome, accessible to Laval University’s students, professors and researchers. Since 1964, the 397 square kilometre block of land has been subject to forest management, which aims to meet society’s needs for sustainable materials by producing lumber for present and future generations, while maintaining the forest’s other resources and conserving biodiversity.
In 2016, the Château Frontenac set up its own pioneering program called Château boréal, whereby the hotel undertook to plant a tree on behalf of each guest who forgoes housekeeping service for their room. Since its creation, Château boréal has planted more than 5,000 trees in the Montmorency Forest.
