Offset Providers

The choice of offset providers internationally continues to augment, while the Carbon Catalogue presently lists 12 providers across Canada with an offset price range of 12.50 $ to 39.90 $ per ton CO2e.(1) For those wishing to purchase offsets from organizations based in Québec, the four principal providers include Planetair,(2) Carbone Boréale,(3) Zero GHG Inc.(4) and ZÉRØCO2.(5)

(1) Planetair is a not-for-profit organization managed by the Unisféra International Centre, also a non-profit organization. (2) Planetair is the exclusive distributor of Myclimate, one of the most respected offset supplier worldwide, since all their projects conform to the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)* and Gold Standard.** These projects finance only renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in various developing countries. Planetair plans to offer Canadian projects in the future depending on sales volumes.

(2) Carbone Boréale (CB) is both a program, and a laboratory of researchers at the University of Québec in Chicoutimi. CB offsets finance tree plantations in a deforested area of Québec and contributes to supporting research. The plantations are verified and managed according to ISO 14064-3 norms, and are registered by the Canadian EcoProjectsTM GHG.(3)

(3) ZeroGHG Inc. is a private consultancy firm offering offsets in a variety of renewable and energy efficiency projects in addition to their consulting services to develop GHG reduction strategies, quantifying emissions and performing audits. ZeroGHG projects are located in various countries, and at least 80% must meet CDM* and Gold Standard**.(4)

(4) ZÉRØCO2 is a private enterprise selling offsets that finance reforestation projects in various communities. Since 2006, ZERØCO2 has reforested more than 20 hectares of land, creating green spaces equivalent to just over 40 football fields in the heart of communities. (5)

Indirect Offset Sellers

Some tourism businesses have partnered up with various offset-selling organizations. For example, since 2007, Air Canada (AC) encourages its customers to purchase offsets via non-profit organization ZeroFootprint that invests in forest restoration project in British Columbia. To date, AC customers bought $187,612 of offsets, equivalent of 11725 tones of GO2.(6) In contrast, Air Transat does not sell offsets for reasons relating to the efficiency of such projects in their ability to solve climate change related problems amongst other reasons.(7)

For those traveling by rail, VIA Rail also does not directly offer offsets to its customers, however it also encourages its customers to calculate their GHG emissions with Tree Canada, an Ottawa-based offset company. Since 1990, VIA Rail has reduced its GHG by 15% approximately, although it is responsible for only 0,03% of total GHG emissions compared to 13% generated by motorists in Canada.(8) For travelers that hire vehicles, numerous car rental companies also offer carbon offsets on-line such integrated into their reservation forms such as Alamo, Enterprise and National Car Rentals amongst others.(9)

Tourism Operations Buying Offsets

Some Québec and other travelers to Québec probably purchase offsets, however none of the above named organizations had data available at the time of writing this article about their clients. Some tourism operations also buy offsets in Québec, but no study assessed their transaction value to date.

Some accommodation establishments also have a carbon neutral policy. For example, the Chicoutimi Hotel has been offsetting its heating and electricity use and has been encouraging its clients to offset their stay with CB.(2) Since 2006, the hotel l’Auberge des Seigneurs in St-Hyacynthe has been offering Eco-Friendly Packages to its clients and in 2008, it has also engaged to calculate guest’s travel related GHG contributions amongst other environmentally friendly services.(10) This establishment also compensates emissions of meetings and events held in the hotel by planting trees. Similarly, in an effort to be carbon neutral, Novotel Montreal plants a tree for every online booking. (11)

Montreal based tour company, Karavanniers du monde has also taken climate change mitigation serirosly and since January 2009, its price structure includes carbon compensation costs with Planetair. (2, 12) The company’s client’s base is approximately 97% Québécois and based on discussions with the operation’ owner, there have been no complaints at all concerning the price increase resulting from mandatory carbon compensations. On the contrary, clients are pleased to see such an effort by the company. Some other travel companies such as Omnitour, Voyages Tour Étudiants also offers offsets to its customers. (2) Similarly, since 2006, the regional-based operation WeLa Aventure organizes eco-friendly hiking and cycling trips in the Saguenay,(13) and it compensated for its clients travel related CO2 emissions to and from the region via supporting tree plantations by ZIP Saugenay (14) and the cooperative COOP4Temps.(15)

Increasingly festivals and events across Québec are also eco-friendly, and some compensated for GHG emissions.(16) For example, since 2008, Montreal’s International Jazz Festival is carbon neutral.(17) Both Québec and Montreal Convention Centers offer eco-friendly events with their partner organizations (18, 19) and both centers offer offsetting as an option for such events. For example, In 2004, the Québec Convention Centre committed to reducing its energy consumption by 33% per m2 and its total GHG emissions by 50%.(20) Since 2007, it hosted 32 eco-friendly events of which 7 involved carbon compensations.

At Montreal’s Jean-Drapeau Park (JDP), sustainable development policy integrates GHG mitigation and compensation strategies for the organization and activities (about 100 events per year) on the park’s territory. (21) JDP created a fund (Fonds Oxygène) to implement this policy, and partners and suppliers will be asked to contribute to this fund, which will finance specific environmental improvement projects (22). Additionally, drivers to JDP will be required to pay $1 extra to leave their vehicles in the parking to help offset GHG emissions with CB.

Conclusion

Although it is well known that carbon compensation projects do not represent an ultimate solution to mitigating GHG emissions, the purchase of offsets in credible projects can raise awareness, and provide funds towards worthwhile initiatives.(23) Although buying offsets in tree plantations remains controversial, in certain cases they can deliver net environmental improvements, while buying offsets in renewable energy projects and technology developments permit a shift away from using fossil fuels.

This brief synopsis of the situation in Québec shows that carbon neutrality in the tourism sector is a patchwork. The analysis also highlights the need for measuring net contributions of greenhouse gases by the travel and tourism sector in order to enable a coordinated approach to assessing how this could be effectively mitigated.

* CDM certifies emission reductions that are sold on the voluntary market and it ensures that developed countries’ carbon credits comply with Kyoto Protocol regulations.
** The Gold Standard is an independent organization that certifies carbon credits sold on the voluntary market. Such carbon credits need to meet sustainable development objectives. This means that a carbon-offset project must lead directly to a net GHG emission reduction. Gold Standard does not certify forestry projects.

Sources:

(1) Carbon Catalogue Project: Find a Carbon Offset: Canada. Last Consulted Apr 25, 2009.  http://www.carboncatalog.org/projects/canada/
(2) Planetair. Offset Projects. Last Consulted Apr 2, 2009. http://planetair.ca/
(3) Éco-conseil. Plantations Compensatoires de GES. Last Consulted Apr 15, 2009.  http://dsf.uqac.ca/eco-conseil/ges/frame_ges.html
(4) ZeroGHG Inc. Last Consulted Apr 25, 2009.   http://www.zeroghg.com/
(5) ZeroCo2. Last Consulted Apr 15, 2009.  http://zeroco2.com/welcome.php
(6) Air Canada. Carbon Offset Program. Last Consulted Apr 25, 2009.  http://www.aircanada.com/en/travelinfo/traveller/zfp.html?src=hp_ql
(7) Transat AT (2009) Greenhouse gas reduction and fuel management. Last Consulted Apr 2, 2009. http://www.transat.com/en/social.responsibility/gas.reduction.fuel.management.aspx
(8) Via Rail Canada. Environment: Helping To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Last Consulted Apr 17, 2009. http://www.viarail.ca/corporate/en_environment/reducing_greenhouse_gas.html
(9) Terra Pass Inc. (2009) Rental Car Carbon Offset Program Proves Most Popular With Consumers. Published on-line in Earth News, April 6, 2009. Last Consulted Apr 25, 2009.  http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/rental-car-carbon-offset-program-proves-most-popular-with-consumers775734.shtml#%23
(10) l’Auberge des Seigneurs à St Hyacynthe. Last Consulted Apr. 24, 2009.
http://www.hoteldesseigneurs.com/notre_environment.asp
(11) Novotel Montréal Centre. http://www.novotelmontreal.com/home/novotel_news.shtm Last Consulted June. 2, 2009.
(12) Karavaniers du Monde. Destinatons: Fiche technique. Last Consulted Apr. 3, 2009.  http://www.karavaniers.com/voyages/calendrier/?voyage_depart=134
(13) Wela Aventure. Horaire et parcours. Randonnées des cols du Fjord 2009. Fiche d’information. Last Consulted Apr 25, 2009. http://www.welaaventure.com/
(14) ZIP Saguenay. Réalisations. Last Consulted Apr 27, 2009.  http://www.zipsaguenay.ca/zipsaguenay/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=1&id=5&Itemid=12
(15) Coop Quatre Temps. Mission. http://www.coop4temps.com/ Last Consulted Apr 27, 2009.
(16) Réseau québécois des femmes en environnement. Sustainable Event. Last Consulted Apr 2, 2009. http://www.evenementecoresponsable.com/
(17) Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. Une édition 2008 carboneutre. Last Consulted Apr 27, 2009.  http://www.montrealjazzfest.com/Fijm2008/planetAir_fr.aspx
(18) Centre des congrès de Québec. Développement Durable. Évennements éco-responsables. Last Consulted Apr 27, 2009.  http://www.convention.qc.ca/tiki-index.php?page=devdurable_eve_resp
(19) Palais des congrès de Montréal. Environnement. Last Consulted Apr 2, 2009. http://www.congresmtl.com/fr/visiteurs/environnement.aspx
(20) Centre des congrès de Québec. Lauréate du prix Stellaris: Efficacité Énergétique. Press Release 2 April, 2004. Last Consulted Apr 2, 2009. http://www.convention.qc.ca/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=41
(21) Société du parc Jean-Deapeau (2009) Politique de développement durable. Montréal. 8 p.
(22) Société du parc Jean-Deapeau (2009) Fonds Oxygène.Le fonds de compensation de gaz à effet de serre Montréal. 4 p.
(23) Broderick, J. (2008). Voluntary Carbon Offsets. A Contribution to Sustainable Tourism? In Sustainable Tourism Futures. Perspectives on Systems, Restructuring and Innovations. In Gössling, S., Hall, C.M. and Weaver, D.B. (Eds.). Routledge, New-York. 169-197.

The convention and business meeting industry is cyclical, and mirrors fluctuations in the economy. After a marked slowdown during the post-September 11 years, the Travel Industry Association expects the growth noted over the past few decades to gradually resume, reaching approximately 3.6% in the United States in 2005.

Be that as it may, players in the convention sector need to be aware of the major trends that will exert a strong influence in the years to come. Two university researchers did a qualitative study to see if there was any consensus concerning important trends among a sample group of over 250 British and Australian experts from tourism associations, convention bureaus, specialized convention planning services, sectorial associations, universities and convention centres. Three categories emerged from the study results: the business environment, technology and the social and political context.

Competition: the No. 1 business issue

There is growing consensus concerning the significance of global competition. This factor can only intensify, given the rapid proliferation of new convention centres, the modernization of services, the competitive prices offered by emerging destinations and higher customer expectations. For instance, meeting and convention space in the United Kingdom is no longer centred solely in large cities. It is also being integrated into country hotels, educational institutions and other kinds of alternate accommodation, such as castles or even historic sites. Even cinema complexes are trying to attract corporate events with high-tech audiovisual facilities and turnkey service.

The panel also identified currency fluctuations as a major issue. In the context of global competition, this can have a significant impact on destinations with a strong currency. In that respect, the strong appreciation the Canadian dollar over the past few months could negatively affect Quebec’s desirability for international travellers.

In fact, convention organizations will have to adapt to the changing nature of the events themselves, which will be shorter, with fewer delegates. These kinds of changes will require marketing initiatives that focus on developing long-term relationships with clientele, to ensure a certain stability and encourage repeat business.

In 2003, Meeting Professionals International identified the major technological factors influencing convention planning. These are: shorter reservation times – primarily attributed to more effective communication – and online reservation services, which greatly assist more rapid event organization. These factors inevitably make the long-term scheduling of events more problematic.

Technological advances

Although equipping convention centres with the latest technology makes them more efficient, it can also create problems. Often, the centre lacks the necessary support; when technological difficulties arise during an event, its efficiency is compromised. This, and the fact that convention centre employees need to be trained to use of the new equipment, are some of the reasons for a certain resistance to implementing cutting edge technology.

On the other hand, many customers are demanding the latest technological innovations. Unfortunately, the costs associated with installation and frequent updates are often prohibitive for smaller convention centres. In terms of technology, this will give the larger centres an increasingly significant competitive advantage.

For the past few years, much has been said about the effect of videoconferencing on business travel. Some experts have hailed it as a substitute for the trips themselves, but it seems this view is not completely accurate. These days, the panel of experts by and large agrees that Web solutions will never completely replace the traditional face-to-face meetings. Despite the technological breakthrough, human contact remains essential for effective communication. This view restores business meetings and conventions to their rightful place as the ideal setting – far better than an online videoconference – in which to make business contacts.

Social and political context

The steady growth in international tourism will increase demand for convention tourism. This is due to the simple fact that the more people travel – whether for business or pleasure – the more acceptable the idea of attending a convention in another country becomes.

Work habits have changed over the past few years, with more and more people working from home. The sense of professional isolation this can engender leads to the growing necessity of bringing together geographically dispersed colleagues in the context of business meetings.

Sociodemographic changes could also create new business opportunities. As the working population ages, a large number of former employees remain active in their field by joining various retiree associations and by attending conventions and business meetings. Also, as work-life balance becomes a more pressing issue, an increasing number of delegates will choose to add a pleasure component to their business trip by bringing along the family. Destinations that are seen as “family-friendly” will benefit from this trend.

Finally, a destination’s political stability remains a guarantee of visitor safety, in addition to conferring a significant competitive advantage. In that respect, Quebec must continue to capitalize on its completely safe environment, even in the downtown core of major urban areas. As for the future outlook, it remains to be seen what other factors will influence convention planners – choice of destination.

Sources:
- Biarritz, Anne. «Organiser un événement corporatif dans une salle de cinéma», Le Planificateur, mai 2005.
- Meeting Professionals International. «Welcome to Futurewatch 2003», MPI [www.mpiweb.org], 2003.
- Travel Industry Association. «Travel Industry Optimistic For 2005», Hospitality Net [www.hospitalitynet.org], 2 novembre 2004.
- Weber, Karin et Adele Ladkin. «Trends Affecting the Convention Industry in the 21st Century», Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, Vol. 6, No 4, 2004.