Hundreds of Montrealers are spending the weekend at the Zero Waste Festival in Marche Bonsecours, learning about how they can reduce the amount they waste.
More and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and looking at ways to reduce their ecological footprint.
That starts with the things they use every day.
“The offering of products and services dedicated to having a sustainable way of life is really growing and enlarging,” said Elodie Briant, president of the Quebec Zero Waste Association.
Vendors at the festival were offering everything from bedding made with organic cotton to biodegradable cleaning products.
Marie-Pierre Berube started Kliin (pronounced clean) to replace paper towels.
“Kliin is a cleaning cloth and this is completely compostable, 100 percent in 28 days,” she said. “This is super absorbent. It will absorb 15 times its weight.”
There were also furniture items that require fewer resources to make.
“Kubbii is like big blocks in cardboard, recycled cardboard, and with that you can assemble all of them to make furniture,” said Anne Patel of Kubbii.
A beekeeper at the festival developed food wrap made of beeswax and cotton.
“Beeswax is naturally waterproof and bacterial proof too,” said Felix Lapierre of Api-Flex. “It’s perfect for food.”
According to the Global Footprint Network, Canadians have the sixth-highest ecological footprint per person in the world.
The festival continues through Sunday.
