Articles inside « Green actions » category
You recycle in the métro; we plant trees in the park October 9, 2012
Thanks to you, 1700 saplings have been planted in an area of Angrignon Park in Montréal!
Last year, 851 tons were collected from métro recycling stations to be recycled. In cooperation with the free newspaper 24 Heures, a mountain of paper was transformed into trees. A group of STM and 24 Heures employees along with their gardening tools joined in the first planting of trees and shrubs.
With the support of the Héritage Laurentien organization, the operation consisted in replacing buckthorn shrubs (an exotic and invasive plant) with a variety of indigenous plants found in Montréal’s natural habitats to restore biodiversity.
Thank you, every deed counts for the planet!
Snow is melting, and trees are growing! February 17, 2012
Not only does it melt snow, but because of it, 1143 trees will be planted!
The STM recently purchased a mobile snow melter. It’s a simple machine, like a huge vat that turns snow into water, while separating it from pollutants and solids. The snow melter is environmentally safe and efficient for getting rid of snow around bus garages. Still, the snow melter runs on diesel and so produces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when operated. As a result, the STM decided to join the Projet Carbone Boréal, that enables companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions by planting trees in areas where natural reforestation is not possible.
A Smart Transmission For The STM’s New Buses And Articulated Ones November 11, 2011
The transmission on STM buses is more hi-tech than ever. It now comes equipped with a new program, called Topodyn, for dynamic topography, making fuel-efficient driving automatic while adapting it to road conditions.
When delivered by the manufacturer, all new conventional and articulated buses (2011) come with the Topodyn program integrated in their transmission. The STM is currently retrofitting the program on its older bus models. By the end of 2011, it will have modified 418 such vehicles. This means fuel savings of some 2 million dollars a year for the transit company, in addition to fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
If one considers the service life of a bus, this means some 70 000 tons of GHG that will not be emitted into the atmosphere, thanks to the Topodyn program. Another advantage: it ensures dynamic acceleration and smoother gear shifting upon departure, leading to greater comfort and safety for passengers. Partly financed by Transport Québec, the project proved a sound investment.
Teamwork that produces results
The STM has been working on the Topodyn project since 2008. Bus drivers took part in tests carried out on vehicles that had been equipped with the Topodyn program. Their role consisted of driving the bus along various routes, flat or inclined, to monitor the vehicle’s response during acceleration and braking, while engineers noted the test results. These tests proved conclusive, resulting in the new system being retrofitted and installed on all other bus models during fall 2011. The study is still ongoing with respect to older bus models dating back from 2001 to 2006.
It’s recycling in the métro network : on the green line! November 7, 2011
The first phase of the waste management plan’s implementation was carried out in 15 métro stations, from Frontenac to Atwater on the Green line, with the exception of Berri-UQAM, and from Champ-de-Mars to Georges-Vanier on the Orange line.
The second phase is already started in a dozen other stations, from Préfontaine to Honoré-Beaugrand on the Green line. Implementation of the plan in these other stations will take until early 2012.
In the wake of Québec’s Residual Materials Management Policy and of the Montréal Community Sustainable Development Plan 2010-2015, the STM followed suit by implementing its own waste management plan (PGMR) throughout the métro. The plan calls for gradually removing the 245 paper collection bins and 1 600 wall-mounted trash cans along passenger platforms and mostly replacing them with “islands” featuring two sections (trash and recycling) installed mainly at a station’s entrance/exit and along mezzanines.
Adhering to the 3RV principle of Reducing, Reusing, Recycling and Value-adding, some 1 000 of the 1 600 trash cans removed from platform walls will be reused to produce the new islands, thus preventing any more raw materials or energy from being used. This way, the trash cans, that were an integral part of the original metro station design, get a second lease on life. Furthermore, their stainless steel casing has proven durable over time.
