Sustainable development
We are committed to operating the Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook and the Parc Découverte Nature in an environmentally responsible, socially equitable, and economically sustainable manner, preserving the environment, promoting cultural diversity, and contributing to the well-being of local communities. Sustainable development becomes a cross-cutting strategy that must be embraced in every present and future action.
Discover Our Current Actions
Local purchases
- Emphasizing the identification of locally produced goods.
- Increasing the number of local products for sale in its on-site store.
- Purchasing of local products for its snack bar.
- Hiring a local workforce.
- Maintaining on-site local repair services for its manufactured items, tools, electronics and/or materials.
Sort your waste
- Providing campers with compost bags.
- Using compostable dishes.
- Purchase and installation of three-way bins (compost, recycling, and waste) identified with signs to help customers and staff compost properly.
- Recycle and sort everything that may be recycled.
- Have batteries and hazardous products recycled at recognized drop-off points.
- Use of recycled paper, cardboard and toilet paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
- Ask suppliers to avoid over-packaging products.
Biodegradable products
- Use in part biodegradable hygiene products for household maintenance, untreated wood for our constructions and water-based paint and stains.
- Avoid buying petroleum products, for example we no longer buy plastic bags, we sell reusable bags.
Reuse
- Use reusable dishes and containers (e.g.: coffee cups, water bottles…) within our company and ask our staff to do the same.
- Set up accessible zones for our customers to fill their reusable water bottles.
Green energy
- Prioritize rechargeable batteries. (CB)
- Use of LED technology, driven by exceptionally low power consumption.
- Charging stations for electric cars.
- Electric golf kart and Side by side vehicle.
- Use an ecological search engine for your current web searches and install it on computers (e.g., Lilo, Ecosia, etc.).
- Focus on digital: Avoid printing documents or opt for the double-sided option and hardly give any more paper cards, our cards are on the ONDAGO application.
- Solar light on the campground.
- Use eco-friendly lighting: turning off the lights before leaving is one of the most necessary actions as part of an eco-responsible effort.
- Carpooling between colleagues.
- For meetings, simple ecological gestures to limit travel: when meeting with multiple people, rely on videoconferences as much as possible.
- The possibility of teleworking, under the agreement of the company.
Wildlife
- Plant new trees each year.
- Reduce the environmental footprint by informing customers of the seven no-trace principles:
- Preparing for an outdoor outing contributes to the success of your adventure, which will be a safe and entertaining experience.
- Use durable surfaces. Camp on official sites and walk only in trails.
- Responsibly manage your waste. Bring back what you initially brought. Inspect stopping places and campsites; do not leave any trash, leftover food, or litter.
- Leave stones, plants and any natural objects as found. This includes trees and plants, but also cultural objects.
- Fire management. Avoid trampling the vegetation to obtain firewood, purchase firewood at the reception.
- Respect wildlife. Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach wild animals.
- Be respectful of other visitors and concerned about the quality of their experience.
Socio-economic aspect
- By conducting employee and customer satisfaction surveys to better consider their opinions, comments, suggestions and needs.
- Provide an employee handbook and appraisal system.
- Provide an emergency response plan manual.
- By offering staff preferential rates on our products and services.
DISCOVER OUR COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
Le Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook and le Parc Découverte Nature have signed the Commitment to Sustainable Tourism by 2030, aiming to demonstrate their commitment to improving the performance of their organization and activities in terms of sustainable development by 2030.
The United Nations World Tourism Organization defines sustainable tourism as “[…] tourism that fully takes into account its current and future economic, social, and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities.”
Each year, le Parc de la Gorge de Coaticook and le Parc Découverte Nature commit to measuring and improving their sustainability performance.
OUR ACTIONS BY 2030
- Implementing a sustainable development action plan and updating it every two years to continuously improve our practices.
- Developing an assessment system for current and future actions based on social and environmental performance indicators.
- Establishing a sustainable development committee comprising a representative from each department, with roles including:
- Monitoring actions using social and environmental performance indicators.
- Promoting park engagement and contributing to education and awareness on sustainable development issues.
- Promoting park engagement to customers and educating and raising awareness on sustainable development issues by:
- Sharing our commitment, approach, and sustainable development actions on our social media and through monthly newsletters.
- Adding a “Sustainable Development” section to our terms and conditions for online purchases, serving as customer commitment.
- Demonstrating transparency by annually publishing progress reports on policy implementation.
- Promoting greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction by:
- Conducting an inventory of company GHG emissions.
- Implementing a GHG emission reduction plan and updating it every two years.
- Ensuring responsible waste management by:
- Continuing current actions.
- Educating and raising awareness among the team and customers on waste management.
- Ensuring biodiversity conservation by:
- Protecting and preserving natural ecosystems on site.
- Collaborating with and supporting local nature conservation organizations.
- Ensuring responsible sourcing by prioritizing local suppliers, sustainable products, and fair sources by:
- Continuing current actions.
- Opting for eco-friendly counterparts when replacing and optimizing currentequipment.
- Developing the philanthropic aspect of the Parks by annually supporting a cause and/or social actions.
- Establishing a climate resilience plan to increase resistance to climate shocks, minimize potential damage, and facilitate recovery after extreme weather events.