Sustainable Quebec

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Quebec Sustainability

By:

Eric LeSieur

In a world in which we are always depleting our natural resources further and further every day, countries need to develop ways in which they can heavily reduce, or eliminate, their dependence on these limited resources.  Studies show that the world’s supply of conventional oil will only last another 42 to 93 years; we need to develop plans to eliminate our dependence on this fossil fuel before we run out.  In order to accomplish this task, a country needs to find ways to create, harvest, or discover new sources of energy that can be used to power our communities.  Along with using new technology to create new sources of energy, we also need to work towards cutting back on current energy usage.  One great way to figure out such a plan is to look at cities that are already on their way to accomplishing this task.  One such city is Quebec, Canada.

Quebec, Canada is the 7th largest city in Canada.  It’s population as of 2006 is 715,515 residents.  It’s located just over 500 miles north of New York City.  Quebec is one of the most sustainable countries in all of North America.  This is primarily due to one of its largest companies; Hydro-Quebec.  Hydro-Quebec is an electric company that primarily relies on hydropower to create its energy.  It has managed to accomplish an amazing feat by reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.  Hydro-Quebec is a big believer in environmental sustainability.  They have considered all aspects involved, including air quality, water quality, vegetation control, bio-diversity, eliminating contamination, improving the quality of life, managing electric and magnetic fields, managing nuclear power, using resources wisely, overseeing environmental initiatives, and ensuring environmental acceptability,  all while still striving to be as independent as possible from the use of fossil fuels.  I will be talking about just a few of these in order to convey their efforts and dedication to the environment.

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Hydro-Quebec has accomplished something remarkable.  Quebec’s main source of power is hydro-power making up a whopping 94% of its total energy supply.  Only 4% of Quebec is powered by oil, 1.8% by nuclear power, and 0.2% is powered by other means of energy.  This is simply amazing as hydro-power is a completely renewable source of energy.  The way that water is used to create electricity is a very simple process.  Hydro-Quebec has made good use of many of its surrounding rivers.  Turbines are placed along these rivers which use the constant flow of the water to turn them.  The turbines ...

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