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Montreal, June 30, 2016 – Équiterre, a non-profit organization promoting ecological and equitable choices, is pleased to announce its collaboration with CRH Canada Group Inc. (CRH Canada), a leading building materials manufacturer and construction service provider, to work together to develop and promote of green buildings. The partnership seeks collaborative opportunities to enable and increase the positive impact of the two organizations’ sustainable construction activities, and to revitalize sustainable development performance in the Québec building and building materials industries.
Motivated by their successful collaboration with CRH Canada during the completion of the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), the new partnership will allow Équiterre to continue to improve knowledge-sharing and awareness-building activities offered by the CSD, a showcase sustainable building. “By designing more sustainable buildings, we work at the source of our building infrastructure lifecycle, which allows for significant economies of scale, as well as reducing several environmental impacts of the industry. This partnership with CRH Canada will enable us to boost the performance of the Quebec building materials and building sectors,” explains Sidney Ribaux, Executive Director of Équiterre.
Buildings and the built environment are key determinants of human health, as they impact conditions such as air quality and access to natural light. Building construction requires a significant amount of materials (50% of world production) and their maintenance is capital intensive. Moreover, they largely determine the consumption of strategic resources—40% of energy and 17% of fresh water use. It is therefore important for the building industry to take a leadership role and engage with expert NGOs to drive action in this sector.
“Sustainable development is anchored in our manufacturing and project management processes at CRH Canada. We are extremely pleased with this partnership with Équiterre. Together, we can take the development of innovative solutions for constructing a built environment with improved environmental performance one step further. Our teams’ building materials expertise will help support the Centre for Sustainable Development in its mission,” says Jean-Maurice Forget, Senior Vice President, Quebec and Atlantic Region, CRH Canada.
Key roles of green buildings in our society:
- They play a leading role in the adaptation to climate change
- Their strategic role will grow alongside increasing urbanization
- They make up a major component of economic activity (factories, schools, offices, businesses, and hospitals)
- They represent an important part of our collective wealth
The Centre for Sustainable Development: a unique and innovative showcase
Construction of the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), the first building in Quebec to receive the LEED® Canada New Construction PLATINUM certification and a leading green building in the province, was completed in August 2011. This sustainable building, the result of an integrative design approach between several partners, is a place for research and knowledge sharing and an exceptional showcase open to the public, students, educational institutions, organizations, builders, and property owners. Designed to meet the specific needs of the milieu, the CSD allows for the real-world demonstration of technologies at the leading edge of their technological maturation process and offers a unique opportunity to enhance our understanding of the elements that will enable buildings to fulfill their role in the 21st century.
About Équiterre
As the largest environmental group in Quebec, Équiterre contributes since 1993 to promoting a social movement that motivates citizens, organizations and governments to make more ecological, sustainable and inclusive choices. www.equiterre.org/en
About CRH Canada Group Inc.
CRH Canada Group Inc. is a leading manufacturer of cement, aggregates and ready-mix concrete and provides construction services to many of Canada’s largest infrastructure projects. With over 3,000 employees, CRH Canada has a portfolio of brands including Dufferin in Ontario and Demix in Quebec. The company, which operates across Canada, the Great Lakes region and the Northwest U.S., is a subsidiary of CRH plc, one of the top three international building products companies in the world, with headquarters in Ireland.
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For more information:
Dale Robertson
Media Relations, Équiterre
514-605-2000 / drobertson@equiterre.org
Mejasoa Razafimihary
Communications Specialist, CRH Canada Group Inc.
450-651-1117 / mejasoa.razafimihary@ca.crh.com
