While the Rideau Canal Festival focuses on the beauty and rich heritage surrounding the canal, it also places emphasis on its preservation for future generations in honor of its UNESCO World Heritage Site designation. To that end, the Rideau Canal Festival has adopted an Aim-for-Zero-Footprint approach, with the goal of zero carbon emissions and zero waste from the festivities.

The 2009 Rideau Canal Festival succeeded in our Carbon Neutral Goal! Thanks to the support of festival sponsors Energy Ottawa and our many Adopt-a-Metre participants, the Festival fully offset the 2,594.17 tonnes of carbon emissions generated during its organization and implementation for the more than 152, 893 visitors.

Thanks to our Aim-for-Zero-Footprint approach, 75% of our garbage was diverted away from the landfills last year. We know that the road towards a more environmentally-friendly and socially-responsible Festival is an evolving and learning process.

This year, the Rideau Canal Festival is once again undertaking the sustainability challenge. Not only do we wish to host yet another carbon-neutral event, but we plan on improving our Aim-for-Zero-Footprint initiative! To achieve this goal, we are working with our partners, vendors, suppliers, sponsors, and visitors, to reduce our GHG emissions.

Please help us achieve our goal by choosing to reduce your personal *ecological footprint.

Here are a few eco-friendly steps we are taking during the 2010 Rideau Canal Festival:

1. We plan on using as many compostable products such as biodegradable water bottles, beer glasses, utensils, napkins and food containers. Properly composted, each of these plant-derived products can be returned to soil.
2. Our Aim-for-Zero-Footprint approach includes encouraging our sponsors and partners to reduce their carbon footprints related to their involvement with the Festival.
3. Signage for the Festival, including the Heritage Metre Markers along the canal and promotional material, will be made from biodegradable material such as FSC paper. Printed material for the Festival will be kept to a minimum.

Join us for Zerofootprint Day!
saturday july 31

• Energy Ottawa Ecosphere Environmental Fair with over 70 Exhibitors
• Green Speakers Series with 30 featured speakers
• Buy Local BBQ Challenge
• Bicycles for Humanity; bicycle loan program
• Garden Tours
• Musical Breeze Bicycle Parade
  ...and much more!

water Fountains Along the Canal

Quench your thirst this summer without generating any waste! You can refill your water bottle at the following locations along the Rideau Canal:

• Queen Elizabeth Drive at Lakeside Avenue
• Queen Elizabeth Drive at Lakeview Terrace
• Colonel By Drive at Rosedale Avenue
• Queen Elizabeth Drive at Fifth Avenue
• Queen Elizabeth Drive at Linden Terrace
• Queen Elizabeth Drive at McLeod Street
• 200m north along Queen Elizabeth Drive from Somerset Street West
• Colonel By Drive at Daly Avenue
• Elgin Street at Wellington Street

Eco Facts

• Did you know that each kg of fuel burned emits approximately 3 times this amount of CO₂ gas by mass?
• It takes anywhere between 50 and 450 years to break down Styrofoam, depending on conditions. Yet there are compostable foam products available made from renewable plant products which decompose in as little as 50 days!
• The average small car will output approximately 4000 kg (8800 lbs) of CO₂ gas into the atmosphere each year – this is more CO₂ gas than most houses emit.

To measure your car’s CO₂ output, check out the Ottawa Zerofootprint Calculator.

AIM-FOR-ZERO-footprint FESTIVAL MODEL

As mentioned above, in its second year, the Rideau Canal Festival achieved its ambitious goals of becoming a carbon-neutral festival and reducing its environmental footprint with less waste to landfill from festival operations. These positive steps reflect the Festival’s commitment to the future preservation of the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for generations to come.

In total, the Festival produced 2, 594.17 tonnes of carbon emissions, representing 16.9kg of greenhouse gas emissions per visitor. The Festival emissions were offset with carbon credits generated from reforestation and renewable energy projects and were supported by the Festival’s Adopt-A-Metre campaign and by Festival sponsors, such as Energy Ottawa. A pilot project for waste reduction at one of the Festival’s four sites was also very successful as numerous recycling stations replaced conventional waste bins and helped Festival organizers reach an impressive 75% waste diversion rate for that venue.

The Rideau Canal Festival is now working with two main partners, Festivals and Events Ontario and the Recycling Committee of Ontario, to make the Aim-for-Zero model available to all festivals in Ontario for the summer of 2011.

This model was developed with the assistance of ecoverde, Zerofotprint and Enigma Research as well as an advisory committee chaired by Board member, David Greenall from Deloitte, with representatives from Parks Canada, the National Capital Commission, the City of Ottawa, the Recycling Council of Ontario, the Ottawa Festival Network, and Ecology Ottawa.

The Aim for Zero model will provide instructional guidelines and resources supporting festivals as they strive to emit ‘zero carbon’, produce ‘zero waste’, and integrate environmental awareness into aspects of their festivals.