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 approach, with the goal of zero carbon emissions and zero waste from the festivities.

 

The 2008 Rideau Canal Festival succeeded in our Carbon Neutral Goal! Thanks to the support of festival sponsors Energy Ottawa, Plasco Energy and our many Adopt-a-Metre participants, the Festival fully offset the 3,374 tonnes of carbon emissions generated during its organization and implementation for the more than 114,000 visitors.

Thanks to our Aim-for-Zero-Footprint approach, 72% 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 from last year by 10%.

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 2009 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, will be made from biodegradable material. Printed material for the Festival will be kept to a minimum.

Join us for Zerofootprint Day! Saturday, August 1

• Ecosphere Environmental Fair with over 70 Exhibitors
• Green Speakers Series with 30 featured speakers
• Enbridge Buy Local BBQ Challenge
• Bicycles for Humanity; bicycle loan program
  ...and much more!

Eco Facts

1. Did you know that each kg of fuel burned emits approximately 3 times this amount of CO₂ gas by mass?
2. 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!
3. The average small car will output approximately 4000 kgs (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.

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

AIM FOR ZERO FESTIVAL MODEL

As mentioned above, in its initial 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 3,374 tonnes of carbon emissions, representing 29.4 kg 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, including Energy Ottawa and Plasco Energy. 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 72% waste diversion rate for that venue.

The Rideau Canal Festival is now working with three main partners to develop an Aim for Zero model that can be applied to festivals throughout Ontario to allow them to achieve similar positive results and reduce their environmental impacts as well. Participating in the development of the model are: ecoverde, a sustainable communications and engagement firm; Zerofootprint, an organization dedicated to a mass reduction in global environmental impact; and, Enigma Research, event research specialists.

Assisting the core group in developing the Aim for Zero model is 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. It is expected to be finalized in late 2009 and presented at the Festival and Events Ontario annual conference taking place in Ottawa in March 2010.