Initial
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Développement
durable

Environmental tours, waste management, water and energy conservation, digital sobriety, food, social commitment, eco-responsible committee... Sustainable development through culture is at the heart of the DNA of TOHU, producer of MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE, and its various actions are logically reflected at the Festival.

New for 2024 :
  • La TOHU's outdoor site, with its mature trees and second-hand marquees, has been extensively refurbished for the summer season. Almost all the materials used come from donations from various partners, and every object has been repurposed with out-of-the-box thinking. Have fun guessing where the pink balls that give such a beautiful color to the picnic tables in the multicolored zone come from!
  • After a much-appreciated partnership with the Retournzy solidarity co-op last summer, Le Bahut - La TOHU's outdoor bistro has taken the zero waste plunge with a 100% conversion to reusable utensils, right down to the little cups for sauces! It has its own sorting station and a signage system to raise customer awareness of the good practices in place.
  • Le Bahut's menu continues to be certified "Aliments du Québec au menu" and has revamped its menu for the summer, including ever more vegetarian options. Partnerships with the Distillerie des Trois-Lacs and Montreal microbrewery Dieu du Ciel help to promote Quebec products at the bar too.
  • The Gandini Juggling troupe, which opens the Festival, lands in Montreal as part of a North American tour that will also take them to Quebec City and the United States. - The Marché international de cirque contemporain offers 300 circus professionals from some 30 countries a workshop entitled "Sustainable approaches to a global challenge"


Among other actions implemented over the past several years:
  • All the inspiring actions on the TOHU site, which earned it Gold-level Eco-responsible Stage accreditation from the Conseil québécois des événements écoresponsables (currently being renewed for summer 2024). La TOHU's green building was the first in Quebec to receive LEED Gold certification, back in 2004. See the TOHU website for more information.
  • For the Quartier latin hub of the Quartier des spectacles, reuse of experiential furniture from year to year.
  • Installation of two-way sorting islands (waste-recycling) on rue Saint-Denis and three-way sorting islands (compost) in indoor facilities (headquarters, production offices). Whenever possible, bulk waste is used.
  • Production and public distribution of the Green Festival Guide for participants.
  • Provision of Bixi passes and OPUS cards for international artists to encourage their active and collective mobility during their stay in Montreal.
  • Calculation of the Festival's carbon footprint and partial offsetting of residual emissions, budget permitting (e.g. 2023: donation of $900 to the social reforestation organization Arbre Évolution).
  • Use of green brigades on the TOHU site or in the Quartier latin, budget permitting (e.g. 2023: collaboration with ENUF for the presence of sorting ambassadors at Le Bahut).
The social aspect is not left out, with three highlights that have been at the heart of TOHU's mission since its creation:
  • A local employability policy that prioritizes young people from the Saint-Michel district for positions welcoming the public. When you go to see a show at La TOHU, it's literally the youth of Saint-Michel who welcome you! This policy is extended, wherever possible, to off-site activities during the Festival.
  • Distribution of several hundred tickets to local residents, via long-standing partnerships with some forty Saint-Michel community organizations.
  • Finally, as inclusion and benevolence have been in the circus DNA since its origins, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE naturally renews its association each year with Cirque Hors Piste, which uses social circus to reach out to street kids and young people in very precarious situations.
  • Thank you to all our employees, suppliers and partners who make this mission a reality! And congratulations to our other accredited partners!