What Québec Wants™

Earth Hour – been there, done that.

Did you participate in Earth Hour on Saturday March 26th at 8:30?

The press release from World Wildlife Fund claims that ‘Canada embraced Earth Hour as never before.’ It goes on to state that ‘an impressive roll-call of 422 cities, municipalities and towns took part in Earth Hour 2011 - a pleasing outcome for a team that rightly thought it had done very well with 304 in 2010. Another 73 universities and 30 major landmarks from across the country including the CN Tower, Parliament Buildings, Niagara Falls and the Lions Gate Bridge, took part in this year’s event.’

Now contrast this with the findings from an Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of Postmedia News from March 28 to 31, 2011.

Asked whether they participated in Earth Hour on Saturday at 8:30pm local time by turning off the lights in their home or place of business for one hour, 36% of Canadians said they turned their lights off, while 8% didn’t turn off their lights but participated in another way. In total, 44% of Canadians participated in Earth Hour in some way, shape or form, down 3 points from last year and down 16 points from 2009. Nearly one in ten (7%) have never heard of this event (unchanged).

Canadian cities may have embraced Earth Hour as never before but Canadians – especially Quebeckers – don’t seem to have shown the same enthusiasm.  

Still in the dark about Earth Hour

A year ago I wrote a post about Quebeckers’ comparatively low interest in Earth Hour.

It mentioned a study conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Canwest News Service that revealed that participation rates varied greatly across the country. Overall, Ontarians (74%) were the most likely to report having observed Earth Hour, while a majority in Alberta (63%), British Columbia (62%), Atlantic Canada (59%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (57%) also got involved. The lowest reported levels of participation are found in Quebec (35%).

A year later, Ipsos fielded the same survey. The results suggest there’s been little progress in encouraging Canadians to go dark for Earth Hour.

According to Ipsos, participation rates were highest in Ontario (54%), B.C. (52%) and Atlantic Canada (50%), but much lower in Alberta (46%), Quebec (36%) and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (33%).

In no region of the country did participation rates significantly increase over last year’s figures:

• In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, just 33% participated in Earth Hour this year, while 57% participated last year (down 24 points), the sharpest decline in the country.
• In Ontario, only 54% participated this year compared to 74% who took part last year (down 20 points).
• In Alberta, just 46% took part in Earth Hour this year compared to 63% last year (down 17 points).
• In British Columbia, only a slim majority (52%) participated this year compared to 62% last year (down 10 points).
• In Atlantic Canada, one half (50%) observed Earth Hour this year compared to 59% last year (down 9 points).
• In Quebec, only 36% participated this year, although that’s up 1 point from last year.

Keep in mind that Quebeckers are least likely to have heard of this event. WWF, feel free to give us a call.

Recyclage de luxe

There's something strangely Canadian about Stella Artois' campaign in the UK promoting its recycling policy.

The advertising campaign promotes cans made of 50% recycled aluminium, bottles made of 75% recycled glass, with corrugated packs, paper and cardboard point of sales material made from 100% recycled paper. The campaign is associated with the Hedges project, in which every 18 x 284ml pack purchased results in a tree being planted by Stella Artois, supported by The Tree Council and the National Hedge Laying Society.

The print and outdoor advertising campaign uses photography by Nick Clements and design by Cristiana Couceiro. Notice something distinctly Canadian?

 

According to this post and the comments on The Canadian Design Resource, designer Cristina Couceiro, who did this work for Mother London, has a thing for the CBC logo. Here's another poster she created before working on Stella's campaign.

 

It's not quite clear what's going on here. As one blogger wrote, 'ironically, the campaign title is “Recyclage De Luxe”, and the message below it reads “Our cans are made of 50% recycled aluminum”. But I can’t seem to find “and our campaign was created using 50% recycled logos” anywhere.'

What is clear is the campaign is getting much attention.

Here's the most recent episode of Le Recyclage de Luxe Show with host Alain du Monde, live from 1963 - the first Eco Chic show on Le Toube. In French of course, with English subtitles.

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For the birds

There’s a rather intriguing poster these days in the Toronto subway system. It’s for an organization called FLAP  – the Fatal Light Awareness Program.

FLAP works to safeguard migratory birds in the urban environment through education, research, rescue and rehabilitation. Its vision says it all: create a 24-hour collision free urban environment for migratory birds.

It isn’t an issue most of us are aware of. But after reading this, chances are you’ll look at birds flying around office towers differently.

After collisions, many birds are just stunned and will revive in a couple of hours.  However, if they find themselves trapped in a maze of bright office towers, their chances of making it out alive are slim. Gulls, cats, crows and other predatory animals soon learn to patrol the area in search of an easy meal. As the day breaks, those birds that escape predation often panic as the city fills with people. Desperate to find cover, they collide with windows reflecting the natural surroundings, often with fatal results. If they manage to avoid further window collisions, some may slowly starve to death.

Why should we care?

Because creating a collision-free urban environment for migratory birds will have a lasting effect in helping reduce greenhouse gas & air emissions, while aid in conserving freshwater ecosystems.

And because birds are big business. According to data on FLAP’s site, birding is reportedly second only to gardening as the most rapidly growing leisure interest across North America. The number of bird-watchers in the U.S. and Canada grew 155 percent between 1983 and 1995. The Fish and Wildlife Service survey states that 62.9 million Americans participate in wildlife watching and spend $29.2 billion doing so.

Quebeckers and birding

According to PMB 2009 data, Quebeckers are slightly less likely to be actively involved in bird watching. 9% of Quebeckers went bird watching at least once in the past year compared to 11% of Canadians in the rest of Canada. But they are less likely to say they accept that ‘some environmental damage is an acceptable consequence of progress’.

There is a Montréal version of FLAP called ProjetAVES.

Bird bath

On a related note, here’s a clever spot for Dawn dishwashing liquid.

According to Brandchannel, the campaign may never have happened were it not for a charity’s persistence. The International Bird Rescue Research Center first discovered that Dawn worked on birds caught in oil spills in 1978. But Dawn’s maker, Procter & Gamble, ignored requests to donate cases of the product, then finally agreed to do so in 1988.

Quebeckers and excess bagging.

Metro announced today that it is introducing reusable produce bags in all of its stores across Quebec and Ontario. The reusable mesh bags will be available as an alternative to the rolls of plastic bags currently found throughout the produce section. Each set of four bags will be sold for $4.99.

It should be welcome news to Quebeckers who appear more concerned than Canadians in the ROC about excess wrapping and bagging. According to PMB 2009, 38% of Quebeckers agree strongly with the statement “I refuse excess bagging and wrapping when shopping” compared to 29% of Canadians in the ROC.

Refusing excess packaging is one thing. Paying more for environmentally friendly products is another. According to PMB 2009, Quebeckers are slightly less likely than Canadians in the ROC to agree with the statement “I’m willing to pay more for environmentally friendly products” (24.8% in Québec compared to 31.1% in the ROC).

Shades of green

Many studies assess Canadians’ green attitudes and their concern for the environment. Quebeckers are usually as concerned and at times more concerned than Canadians in the ROC.

But few studies probe actual behaviour. Who walks the talk?

Stats Can released such a study in 2006. It’s a bit dated but the findings are surprising.

The study focuses on six environmental behaviours at the household level:

1. use of reduced volume toilets
2. use of low-flow showerheads
3. use of compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL)
4. recycling
5. composting
6. lowering temperatures

Households that practiced four to six behaviours were considered very active. Those who engaged in two to three behaviours were moderately active, while those who adopted zero or one behaviour were considered less active.

In 2006, almost half of Canadian households were very active across this range of environmental behaviours (45%).

Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) was the most active province, with close to two-thirds of its households (64%) participating in four or more environmental activities.

Quebec was the least active province.

In the dark about Earth Hour

A week ago today the earth went dark for Earth Hour.

In Quebec, the World Wildlife Fund, Earth Hour’s sponsor, turned to ad agency Bleublancrouge for a way to raise Earth Hour’s visibility in the province. In her Persuasion column a week ago, the Globe & Mail's Jennifer Wells detailed what the agency recommended and implemented; a super cool darkened website http://www.ideasinthedark.ca where “visitors scroll across the seemingly black screen, the mouse casts the glow of a subtle spotlight upon the text, a call to Quebeckers to participate in Earth Hour 2009.”

Wells wrote about what the agency calls “eco-creativity”: on Saturday, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. E.T.,  Montreal will play host to Ideas in the Dark, where artists will create with the lights out and then put their works on display when the lights come back on. There will be creative thinking in the dark, and musical performances in the dark, all in aid of a celebration.

Did it work?

You be the judge.

Here are two data points to help you in your analysis:

The Gazette reports a saving of 150 megawatts of power across the province – exactly the same as for last year’s event.

A study released this week conducted by Ipsos Reid on behalf of Canwest News Service revealed that participation rates varied greatly across the country. Overall, Ontarians (74%) were the most likely to report having observed Earth Hour, while a majority in Alberta (63%), British Columbia (62%), Atlantic Canada (59%), and Saskatchewan and Manitoba (57%) also got involved. The lowest reported levels of participation are found in Quebec (35%).

In Alberta (+11) and Ontario (+3) participation rates increased over last year. But in BC (-8), Quebec (-3) and Atlantic Canada (-2) participation dropped, while it remained unchanged in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

A closer look at the results points to the real issue in Quebec.

While only 7% of Canadians have never heard of the event, 1 out of 5 Quebecers (19%) has never heard of it.

WWF might want to rethink its awareness building strategy in Quebec. The site and its related activities may have been super cool but it seems to have kept Quebeckers in the dark about Earth Hour.