Halifax is in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. The people of the Mi’kmaw Nation have lived on this territory for millennia, and we acknowledge them as the past, present, and future caretakers of this land.
We also recognize that Halifax is home to African Nova Scotian communities, whose histories, legacies, and contributions have enriched this region and province, known as Nova Scotia, for over 400 years.
All material in this document is copyright of Discover Halifax, 2025.
Introduction
This guide provides best practices and actionable steps to help you host meetings and conventions that minimize environmental impacts while enhancing social and economic benefits for the local community. Each section aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), offering insights into the support available in our beautiful city.
At Discover Halifax, we believe that creating truly sustainable events takes time and iteration. Taking small steps can yield big impacts for your event, your delegates, and your host city, Halifax.
Hosting in Halifax is a great place to start, or grow, your event in a sustainable direction because:
• Halifax is a sustainably conscious city, leading the way with recycling programs and emissions goals nationally and internationally.
• Once you’re downtown, you can walk everywhere which reduces the need for organized transport between hotels and venues during your event.
• Buying and sourcing local is a way of life in Halifax thanks to the proximity of incredible local agriculture, fisheries, and food and beverage manufacturers.
• There are ready-made programs and resources that will help your delegates experience the local culture and support our local businesses.
Along with a great host city, we know sustainable events require engaging communication and collaborative partners. Communication supports lasting change. It educates delegates, outlines the opportunities for positive change, and showcases the progress you’re making. And collaboration, well that’s something Halifax is known for globally.
Our venues, suppliers, hotels, and experiential partners all work together seamlessly to support your goals, not just their own. If sustainability is a priority for you, then Halifax has a team waiting for you.
Halifax: A Sustainable Leader
Halifax, located in Nova Scotia on the eastern coast of Canada, has a commitment to sustainability and climate leadership through ambitious targets and plans to reduce emissions, embrace clean energy, and create eco-friendly infrastructure. By hosting an event in Halifax you’ll be contributing to a more sustainable future. Here are just three of the initiatives that are helping Halifax to lead the way:
HalifACT
In 2020, the Halifax Regional Muncipality (HRM) adopted HalifACT, a transformational plan to achieve a net-zero economy by 2050 by reducing emissions, switching to clean and reliable energy sources, green building practices, preparing our community for the impacts of climate change, and demonstrating leadership from local government. This program has been recognized as a Canada’s Clean50 “Top Project” and Halifax has been recognized as a CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Cities “A List”.
The Paris Agreement
In 2020, Nova Scotia achieved a significant milestone by meeting Canada’s Paris Agreement goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2005 levels, making it one of the first places in North America to do so. This progress stems from aggressive climate policies, including transitioning away from coal, investing in renewable energy sources like wind and solar, and implementing energy-efficiency programs. Nova Scotia’s early achievement underscores its role as a leader in climate action.
Zero Emission Bus Project
The Zero Emissions Bus Project will add over 200 electric buses to Halifax Transit by 2028. In addition to reduced greenhouse gas emissions, the buses align with both municipal and national climate targets. Phase one of this project is underway, with 60 electric buses added in 2024, and construction of a newly designed, energy efficient facility to house the zero-emissions fleet.
Sustainable Event Management
Sustainable event management is like steering a vessel toward a greener, more equitable horizon. At the heart of this journey is local sourcing—prioritizing resources, vendors, and partners within the community to minimize environmental impact while boosting the local economy.
A local-first approach
Sustainable event management transcends trends. Embracing local partnerships—whether through food, decor, entertainment, or materials—creates a ripple effect, fostering resilience and environmental awareness within the community. This approach not only reduces emissions but also showcases the unique offerings of the area, enhancing the event experience for all.
A “progress-over-perfection” mindset underscores that sustainability is an evolving journey, as dynamic as the tides. Through open communication and transparency, your events can lead by example, inspiring others to join in sustainable practices, and leaving a legacy that supports both people and the planet.
Starting from square one?
Consider which positive impacts best align to the goals of your organization and your delegates. Initial steps to take:
1 Engage staff, delegates, and stakeholders to understand their priorities.
2 Align stakeholder priorities with organizational priorities.
3 Align priorities with your existing sustainability policies and action plans if you have them in place.
4
Then turn your attention to your specific event and look at how Halifax can help you move the dial toward your goals. The team at Discover Halifax and our partners can add value here.
Tips for managing sustainable events
Be proactive:
• Make a commitment to sustainable practices and allocate resources such as time, capacity, and finances to ensure progress is made.
• Create a clear action plan for your business event and share it with your stakeholders.
• Engage stakeholders for feedback.
Be thorough:
• Consider Halifax’s sustainability strengths, align your activities with local sustainability plans and goals, and contribute to local sustainable development.
• Comply with all applicable local and national laws and regulations.
• Manage risks and have contingency plans for unexpected situations during the event.
Be open:
• Create a community of practice for continuous improvement and knowledge sharing.
Connecting your local event to global goals
Destination Canada recommends setting five to ten measurable goals aligned with three to fine United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and their targets.
Once you have these goals, create a dedicated team that can help track them and ensure you’re making progress.
Throughout this guide you’ll see references to the relevant United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) at the top of each new section.
Where Do Business Event-Related Emissions Come From?
Typically, the top three sources of emissions for business events are:
How we define sustainability
Environmental
Sustainability:
TRAVEL Emissions from flights, car rentals, and other transportation modes.
ACCOMMODATIONS
VENUE & FOOD
Energy and resources consumed by hotels and other lodging options.
Energy usage of the event space and emissions related to food production and waste.
However, every event is unique. Conducting a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions assessment helps identify your event’s specific key emission sources, offering insights on where to eliminate and reduce them. Almost all emissions related to business events are considered indirect emissions. These are the emissions generated by others on your behalf, such as heating and cooling your event space or transportation of event waste for disposal.
Sustainability Hub for Events
• Focuses on conserving natural resources, reducing pollution, and protecting ecosystems to support long-term planetary health.
Economic
Sustainability:
• Involves creating systems that support economic growth and stability while ensuring resources are available for future generations.
Social Sustainability:
• Prioritizes equity, community development, and access to essential services to ensure a high quality of life and social well-being for all.
Human Sustainability:
• Centers on improving human health, education, and personal development to foster overall well-being and resilience in society.
In October 2024, Net Zero Carbon Events and Gevme released the beta version of the Sustainability Hub for Events—an AI tool designed to help event organizers manage event sustainability, including personalized learning resources and event legacy planning. We recommend creating an account and starting with their Carbon Footprint Estimator to help you establish a baseline for your event.
What is a sustainable event?
The United Nations defines a sustainable event as “designed, organized and implemented in a way that minimizes potential negative impacts and leaves a beneficial legacy for the host community, and all involved.”
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals
Accommodations & Venues
Sourcing sustainable accommodation options and meeting venues can significantly reduce your event’s carbon emissions. Some of the benefits to choosing Halifax:
Eco-rating
68% of hotels in our region are certified by eco-rating programs, such as Green Key Global which assesses hotels based on their sustainable operations, from waste management to green cleaning practices.
Green buildings
Many accommodations and meeting venues are also recognized by certification bodies that assess the environmental sustainability of the building itself, such as LEED or ISO.
Walkability
In Halifax, 14 accommodation providers are within walking distance of meeting venues, which means less local transport is required.
Tips for finding the right fit
Request sustainability
You can request information on sustainability practices and programs as part of your room block and venue proposal requests. Just talk to our team at Discover Halifax.
Ask for more
Not seeing anything that’s the perfect fit for your sustainability goals? Hotels and venues in Halifax are collaborative by nature. Many would be willing to work with you directly to create a custom sustainability program for your event.
The Halifax Convention Centre (HCC) is located in the heart of downtown Halifax with 120,000 square feet of space to host your business events. The Halifax Convention Centre is proudly LEEDcertified, with Gold Status meeting criteria that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality.
Halifax Convention Centre
Consider delegate accessibility needs
Delegates with disabilities (visible and non-visible), pregnant or nursing mothers, and people with allergies, may require special considerations when it comes to accommodations and venue spaces. It’s best to engage delegates early to self-identify their needs, or ensure sites selected meet the needs of your delegates.
Tip: When collecting venue proposals, you can ask for their accessibility plans.
Bullfrog powered events and spaces
You can purchase green energy for events and accommodations. Bullfrog Power will offset your event’s energy usage with renewable power using Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) or verified carbon offsets. They will also provide materials to highlight your commitment to sustainability. If you already work with Bullfrog Power, the process is even simpler.
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals
Food & Beverage
Food systems are responsible for roughly 30% of human-caused emissions globally. Even modest dietary changes in menus can have a profound cumulative effect on reducing food-related emissions1.
From the land
No matter what kind of menu you’d like for your event, there are incredible local options. Surrounded by fertile farmland, Nova Scotia has the most farmers’ markets per capita in Canada2, and is committed to reimagining local food systems to be more circular and equitable.
From the sea
Nova Scotia is world-renowned for its incredibly fresh, high-quality seafood. Finding marks of wild, traceable, and sustainable seafood as indicated by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Ocean Wise won’t be a challenge in Halifax.
With minimal waste
Halifax has been recognized for its advanced waste management systems, including recycling and composting programs that contribute to the city’s sustainability goals. Dedicated infrastructure for recyclables, compost, and waste, ensures that events of all sizes can meet high sustainability standards while minimizing landfill contributions.
NS wastes less
Nova Scotia produces the least waste per capita in Canada and plans to reduce waste by a further 25% by 2030 as the province grows its circular economy3. In 2023, HRM had a disposal rate of 43% and a diversion rate of 57% (recycled or composted)4. Halifax was one of the first municipalities in Canada to introduce a composting program in 1998. Today, approximately 53,000 tonnes (equivalent to 53,000 cars off the road) of organic waste are processed annually5.
Tips for making your menu more sustainable
When selecting menus
• Prioritize food and beverage menus that incorporate local, seasonal ingredients from the land or the sea.
• Look for certified organic, fairtrade, MSC, Ocean Wise, B-Corp, or responsibly farmed products. It’s a great way to go above and beyond when sourcing local food & beverage partners.
• Setting percentage goals for local, seasonal foods with your venue partners is a great way to encourage them to think hyper local when designing your menu. (i.e. >50%).
• Go vegetarian by selecting plant-based menus as yoor primary menu option. Choosing sustainable seafood as the primary protein also means significantly lower greenhouse gas emission6.
Reducing Waste
• Establish a plan with your venue partner to refuse, reduce, and reuse waste.
• Learn about and comply with local waste sorting practices, so you can ensure your delegates discard items in the right bins - recycling, compost, cardboard, or waste.
• Reduce waste from packaging by sourcing whole foods or products that come in packaging that can be recycled (be sure to ask).
• Reducing portion sizes and simplifying menus can help minimize waste.
• If you decide on a buffet, ask your caterer to only refill when empty to reduce handling.
• Ask your food and beverage partner to work closely with the Halifax Regional Food Hub. They facilitate direct connections between producers and wholesale buyers like venues and caterers as needed. For example, a strawberry producer may have a surplus of strawberries they need to sell before they spoil. The Regional Food Hub might connect them with a caterer looking for fresh berries for a dessert.
Managing surplus
• Focus on quality over quantity and avoid over-ordering.
• Work with your venue partner to identify an organization that accepts food surplus donations. Feed Nova Scotia, La Tablée des Chefs and Second Harvest, are just three of the organizations that help recover food from events and distribute it to those experiencing food insecurity. See Appendix A for a list of organizations that accept food donations.
• Reduce food handling to comply with food recovery regulations. A great way to do this is by choosing plated meals over buffets.
Educate delegates on how their choices can positively impact the footprint of the event:
• Only take what you need when you dine buffet-style.
• Choose plant-based or seafood options instead of meat and dairy.
• Choose accommodations committed to sustainable practices.
• Choose restaurants and cafes that prioritize local and seasonal offerings when dining between sessions.
A more detailed delegate participation checklist can be found in Appendix B.
Toast to Local Flavours
Don’t forget Nova Scotia has local alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as well. Engaging local food & beverage organizations is a great way to find those hidden gems that create a unique experience for your delegates.
Some examples include:
• Craft Brewers Association of Nova Scotia (CBANS)
• Wine Growers Nova Scotia (WGNS)
• Craft Distillers Association of Nova Scotia (CDANS)
• Nova Scotia Cider Association (NSCA)
• Taste of Nova Scotia
• Buy Local Nova Scotia
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals
Experiences & Entertainment
Elevate your event by exploring ways to immerse delegates in the Halifax region, before, during, and after your event. Integrating thoughtfully curated experiences can enhance well-being, foster meaningful connections, and leave a lasting impact. By focusing on sustainable practices like engaging with local communities, you can create memorable moments for your delegates that extend far beyond the event itself.
Tips for impactful experiences for your delegates in Halifax
It’s easy to leave a lasting legacy when you host an event in Halifax. Here are some ways your event can contribute through education, impact, and support:
• Choose off-site experiences that allow delegates to be immersed in the Halifax’s history and culture. Some examples include:
» Canada’s Immigration Museum at Pier 21
» Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre
» Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
» Africville Museum
» Halifax Citadel Hill National Historic Site
» George’s Island National Historic Site
» Art Gallery of Nova Scotia
» Acadian House Museum
» Halifax Friendship Centre (Opening 2026)
Show your badge for discounts
Encourage your attendees to explore Halifax sustainably with Discover Halifax’s Show Your Badge program. With this program, delegates simply show their event ticket or lanyard to unlock exclusive deals and discounts at locally owned restaurants, shops, and
Cultural Halifax
Like many parts of Canada, Halifax is home to a patchwork of people and cultures including Mi’kmaw, Acadian, African Nova Scotian, and Gaelic with more than 200 ethnicities represented and over 100 languages spoken. These communities have helped to shape the city’s heritage, traditions, and identity.
• Invite local creators, artists, entrepreneurs or performers to participate in your event programming as entertainment. Our team at Discover Halifax can help you find local talent.
• Volunteer with a local organization that aligns with your values. Some examples may include:
» Feed Nova Scotia - Supports those with food insecurities.
» Phoenix House - Provides a continuum of care for youth ages 11-24 and their families.
» Techsploration - Empowers young women to explore careers in science, trades, and technology.
• Offer onsite and/or offsite experiences promoting well-being, such as guided walks or meditations. Taking in our salty air is a great way to improve well-being, leading to a more productive and enjoyable trip for your delegates.
• Encourage delegates to stay a little longer or come a little early to experience more of Halifax or Nova Scotia. Small communities, meaningful cultural sites, and one-of-a-kind festivals offer opportunities to celebrate culture, craft, and Nova Scotia’s history in a deeper way. All while supporting our local economy.
It’s easy to love local in Halifax Nova Scotia is a place where supporting local is an everyday occurrence, which makes sourcing sustainably in Halifax a breeze.
• Encourage delegates to explore the local businesses–all within steps of hotels and venues. It deepens their experience, fosters genuine connections, and makes your event more vibrant and impactful.
• Remind delegates about our Show Your Badge program, which offers discounts at participating local restaurants, sights, and experiences.
• Collaborate with local businesses or business associations (e.g., Downtown Halifax, Downtown Dartmouth, Black Business Initiative) to organize special experiences, sessions, or offers for your delegates.
• Actively promote local businesses that align with your values throughout your event. Your event can serve as a platform for local businesses to engage with delegates and share their stories.
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals
Travel & Local Transportation
Once you land in downtown Halifax, our compact layout makes low-carbon transportation options, including walking, biking, and Halifax Transit, the best way to navigate the city. With 14, 4+ star hotels, the Halifax Convention Centre, dozens of major attractions, and hundreds of restaurants and bars in the city’s downtown core, delegates are never more than a 10 to 20-minute walk from their next incredible destination.
Tips for managing the impacts of transportation in Halifax
• Get here in a thoughtful way:
» Book direct flights to Halifax whenever possible. Home to an international airport, there are many options for non-stop domestic and international flights. You can see our Air Access here.
» Book economy flights. They have 3x lower emissions per seat compared to business class.
» Travel from the airport in groups either via Halifax Transit’s Regional Express 320 or coordinated transport from Maritime Bus.
• Take advantage of Halifax’s tight downtown: Halifax is a walkable city with a near-perfect Walk Score of 99 (75 transit score).
» For shorter distances (20-min walk or less) consider foregoing organized transportation altogether. This will also have a positive impact on the environment and your event budget.
» For longer distances, book busses or use public transit.
Tip -You can apply for a bulk rate for transit tickets through Halifax Transit’s Event Transit Fares Program
• Engage delegates so they know they’re part of creating a positive impact and make it fun:
» Promote and facilitate walking, cycling, and using Halifax Transit between sites.
» Incentivize or challenge delegates to choose sustainable transport options during their stay with rewards.
• Select verified and credible carbon offsets for unavoidable emissions.
» Use your registration process to collect information to identify carbon offset need.
» Engage with local carbon offset projects or nature-based solutions.
» Prioritize carbon offsets projects that actually remove carbon.
» Ensure carbon offset projects are verified, Gold Standard. The Gold Standard (GS) is an independent crediting program focused on progressing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Event Transit Fares Program
Do you expect to invite over 100 delegates to your event in Halifax? Apply for the Event Transit Fares Program to offer reduced Halifax Transit fares through the HRM. Explore the region by bus, ferry, and Access-A-Bus!
YHZ - Halifax Stanfield International Airport
Feel good about flying into the Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
The Halifax Stanfield International Airport has achieved Level 3: Optimisation through the Airport Carbon Accreditation, meaning it is partnering with airlines and third-party service providers to measure carbon emissions and manage the airport’s entire carbon footprint.
Decor, Collateral & Gifts
When selecting decor, collateral, and gifts for your event, thoughtful choices in these areas not only reduces waste but can also enhance your event’s connection to the community and create meaningful experiences for delegates.
Tips for thinking sustainability about decor, collateral and gifts
Displays and decor
• When possible, optimize rental or venue-supplied options for furniture, decor, podiums, displays, and AV equipment instead of bringing in suppliers to transport outside products in.
• Encourage tradeshow participants to recycle or donate unwanted items at the end of the show.
• Rent potted plants or herbs for decor instead of fresh cut flowers. Plant Care will ensure their health throughout your event.
Event materials and collateral
• Find local printers. The less distance your printed collateral or event materials have to go, the better for the environment.
• If printing, use 100% post-consumer recycled and FSC-certified papers and limit printing to only what is necessary.
• Go paperless altogether. Instead of printing event materials, provide digital options for signage, file sharing, or use QR codes to point delegates to your event program, sponsor collateral, or way-finding materials. Discover Halifax can provide you with a QR code that points to our visitor guide and walking maps, for use at your event. Just ask!
• Prioritize reuse by planning to repurpose event materials such as lanyards, name tags, displays, etc. Alternatively, Fairware offers a lanyard lending library and is B Corp certified.
Gifts
• Instead of providing gifts, contribute funds to a local organization on behalf of delegates and partners.
• If gifts are required, source from local and sustainable suppliers or artisans. Discover Halifax has a long list of suppliers you can engage with, so don’t be scared to ask for suggestions.
• Identify gifts made with sustainable or renewable materials.
The team at Discover Halifax can assist you in local sourcing for your needs.
Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
In planning inclusive events, prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) means creating an environment where everyone feels welcomed, represented, and valued. DEI-centred choices go beyond meeting standards—they foster a culture of belonging and reflect a commitment to respecting varied backgrounds, identities, and perspectives so that everyone can participate to their full potential. By emphasizing DEI, your event can be a platform for positive social impact, reinforcing Halifax’s dedication to inclusivity and community engagement.
Tips for incorporating greater diversity, equity and inclusion practices
At the organizational level:
• Consider diversity of the team organizing and executing the event.
• Implement a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination, harassment, or offensive behaviour and communicate it to your team.
• Provide diversity, equity and inclusion training for your team and encourage everyone to do some research on the cultures they’re likely to encounter during their time in Halifax, specifically; Indigenous (Mi’kmaq), African Nova Scotian, Gaelic, Acadian, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities. For example:
» In Halifax, it’s common for a land acknowledgement to be shared at the beginning of major events. Here are some examples that you could incorporate.
For your event:
• Incorporating cultural exhibits, events, or performances is another great way to encourage learning about Halifax’s diverse cultural communities.
» Museums like Pier 21 and Citadel Hill offer exhibits about multiple cultural histories including African Nova Scotian, Acadian, and Mi’kmaq.
» Events like Multi-cultural Fest and Greek Fest are great ways to experience different cultures first hand.
• Incorporate inclusive language throughout your communications. Some examples include:
» Gender-neutral terms: ‘ladies and gentlemen’ becomes ‘honoured guests’, ‘Chairman’ becomes ‘Chair-person’, and ‘he or she’ becomes ‘they’.
» Multi-lingual event materials or signage if applicable.
» Inclusive cultural references. Sometimes this takes a bit of research but it could avoid using idioms or phrases that may not translate well or have negative roots.
• Ensure representation among speakers, panellists, and participants and consider engaging local experts as a way to leave lasting impacts.
» Local organizations can be engaged to host educational or performative sessions about Halifax’s history and culture and Discover Halifax can connect you with them. Some organizations that could be engaged include:
◊ Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre
◊ Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia
◊ Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia
◊ Halifax Regional Municipality Archives
» Halifax is home to local and international organizations, and 6 post-secondary institutions which draw talent from around the world to our city to teach, study, and conduct innovative research. There is an incredible pool of experts to tap into when planning your agenda. Organizations like Springboard Atlantic, ACOA, local associations, or post-secondary institutions are great resources for finding experts with knowledge in a specific area of focus.
• Offer reduced or complimentary passes to promote greater diversity and inclusion at your event.
» Create opportunities for students or young professionals to attend your event. This could mean collaborating with a local university, college, or organization that reaches these groups throughout our region like Students Nova Scotia or the Halifax Partnership
• Consider local businesses owned by underrepresented groups in gifting, finding partners, and other sourcing opportunities. Halifax has many organizations and associations like the Lebanese Chamber of Commerce, the Black Business Initiative, and the Centre for Women in Business that highlight businesses and entrepreneurs from their unique communities.
• Consider the needs of parents and new mothers during your event:
» Onsite childcare to remove barriers for parents and guardians attending.
» A lactation room or private space where a nursing mother can use a breast pump FSC-certified papers and limit printing to only what is necessary.
Discover Halifax is Rainbow Registered
Discover Halifax is a Rainbow Registered and 2SLGBTQAI+ allied organization, which means we can help you find queer-run or queer-friendly businesses and resources in Halifax. Rainbow Registered is a national accreditation for 2SLGBTQAI+ friendly businesses and organizations. Our organization has demonstrated that we follow national guidelines and meet standards that ensure 2SLGBTQAI+ visitors feel safe, welcomed, and accepted in our region.
Accessibility
Accessibility is an inclusive term used to ensure everyone, regardless of physical, cognitive, sensory, or other differences, can fully participate in activities, access information, and use services. When considering accessible events in Halifax, here are a few places to start:
• Invite participants to identify their accessibility needs early in the planning process, so you can ensure their needs are met.
• Consider accessibility of all experiences, transportation, and programming. Although Halifax’s hotels, convention spaces, and most of Halifax’s offsite venues for large groups are accessible to most, ask about their accessibility plan for your event, including emergency evacuation procedures.
• Many Halifax hotels offer a limited number of accessible rooms which typically feature wheelchair-friendly layouts, roll-in showers, grab bars, and lowered countertops. Many include visual and audible alert systems and accessible light switches, while others can provide rooms equipped with hearing assistance devices and other mobility aids upon request.
• Consider additional added support that may be required during your event; ASL interpreters, support facilitators, braille signage or collateral, and specific audio-visual requests such as ramps to stage, special lighting, or sound equipment.
Accessibility at the Halifax Convention Centre
The Halifax Convention Centre is committed to providing an inclusive experience for all attendees. Staff are trained to assist with accessibility needs and the facility offers fully accessible entrances, elevators, and restrooms, infrared audio assistive listening systems, and service animal accommodations.
Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act
Nova Scotia aims to become an inclusive and accessible province by 2030 through its Accessibility Act, which includes a comprehensive Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings and Events. Use the checklist in the linked guide to ensure the accessibility of your event.
Engaging Delegates
When delegates visit our beautiful coastal region, they become part of a community that values sustainability. Engaging your delegates to be part of that community can mean big impacts for your event and your delegates’ experience.
Giving your delegates practical ideas and opportunities to engage sustainably with your event, venue, the local community, and environment will impower them and help them build a toolbox of sustainable practices that they can carry home with them. This creates a wave of lasting positive impacts here and wherever their journey takes them next.
Tips for delegates: How to
be a responsible delegate in Halifax and beyond
Honouring the past: Acknowledge the traditional lands you’re visiting and recognize and express gratitude for the ongoing stewardship of the Mi’kmaq people.
Leaving no trace: Minimize environmental impact by reducing waste, respecting wildlife, and choosing sustainable practices when available.
Supporting local communities: Support the local economy by seeking locally-made goods, dining at restaurants that source from the region, and participating in experiences offered by local businesses.
Travelling with awareness: Be a mindful traveller, understanding the social, environmental, and economic impact of your presence.
Lifelong learning: Take some time to learn about the destination before you arrive, so you can appreciate the diverse culture and histories you’ll be exploring.
Transparent Communication
Organizing sustainable events is a continuous learning process. Transparent communication that demonstrates action and authenticity over perfection is key to building trust and welcomes all stakeholders to take part in the journey.
It’s okay if you don’t meet every target. Be sure to communicate your successes alongside areas of improvement to demonstrate your commitment to progress.
Before the event
• Develop a communications plan for your business event.
• Engage delegates through surveys to understand their attitudes and preferences regarding sustainability before the event.
• Let delegates know beforehand about the event’s sustainable practices and how they can contribute.
During the event
• Communicate sustainability initiatives to delegates throughout the event to build awareness and encourage participation.
• Utilize your website, landing page, app, social media, and email to showcase your plan and opportunities for delegates to be more sustainable.
After the event
• Engage delegates through surveys to provide feedback regarding sustainability initiatives after the event. See if perceptions have changed at all and look for ways to improve your next event.
• Provide a follow-up to share your event’s successes, lessons learned, and areas for improvement. Back it up with metrics from your reports.
GreenwashingA word of caution
In 2024, updates to Canada’s Federal Competition Act and the European Union Green Claims Directive were announced. Both are part of a global movement to combat greenwashing through legislation. Environmental claims should always be adequately substantiated, verified and supported by scientific evidence. These legislations will prohibit using common terms such as ‘net zero,’ ‘carbon neutral,’ and ‘eco-friendly.’ Learn about greenwashing to mitigate reputational and legal risks related to your event communications.
Measuring & Reporting
Throughout this guide, you’ve been provided with recommendations and suggestions for how your event can be more sustainable from a human, social, economic and environmental perspective. Now let’s turn our attention to demonstrating the progress made by measuring outcomes. Measurement can be overwhelming for many planners, so we’ve outlined some measurement tactics and tools that are for those just dipping their toe into sustainability and those who are veterans to the sustainable event planning.
At a high level, here are steps you can take to measure and report on the sustainability of your event:
• Determine your baseline – Look at the areas you want to improve and determine where you are today. If reducing carbon emissions aligns to your goals, then a carbon footprint estimator, like the one found on Sustainability Hub for Events (SHE), will be useful in determining your baseline. Just set up an account.
• Set targets - With your baseline data, create an action plan to maximize your impact. Make sure it outlines clear targets that align to overarching goals.
• Implement your plan – Begin implementing your action plan during the planning stage.
• Review your outcomes - Continue measuring your event’s impact and compare your baseline data to actual data to help you identify areas of impact and improvement.
• Report on your achievements - Complete a report to quantify achievements, share outcomes and learnings with all stakeholders, and set goals that move the dial for your next event.
Using your event data, Discover Halifax can produce an analysis of your event to demonstrate its economic impact to the city. This report may be useful when demonstrating impact to stakeholders, value to partners and sponsors, or facilitating future funding discussions.
Talk to your Discover Halifax representative about an Economic Impact Report for your event.
Tips for measuring and reporting sustainability
Organizational-wide
• Create a community of practice for continuous improvement and knowledge sharing. Brief your team on your sustainability goals and their benefits, so that everyone is thinking sustainable-first.
• Take the 50-30 Challenge. The 50 – 30 Challenge is an initiative that aims to attain gender parity (50%) and significant representation (at least 30%) of underrepresented groups on boards and senior management positions to build a more diverse, inclusive, and vibrant economic future. This approach can apply to recruitment, programming, and procurement throughout your supply chains.
Event planning
• Ask the team at Discover Halifax for a copy of the Hotel Capacity Chart to compare accommodations and meeting rooms across the region. The square footage and capacity numbers can help you calculate carbon emissions using the Hotel Footprinting Tool by Green View.
• Work with venue, food and beverage, and accommodation partners to:
» Understand sustainable purchasing in their supply chains. Nova Scotia offers an example of a Supplier Sustainability Assessment for its procurement practices.
» Identify anticipated sources of waste and estimated amounts.
» Determine what metrics will be available to you after the event is completed around waste, consumption, etc.
• Set percentage goals for:
» Sustainable and local purchasing (i.e. 60%)
» Supplier diversity in purchasing (i.e. 30%)
» Local, seasonal food and beverage (i.e. 50%)
• Work with a partner specializing in social impact, such as Meet4Impact, to help you strategize a legacy program and measure its impact.
• Use a carbon calculator to measure your event’s unavoidable CO2 emissions. Knowing the CO2 emissions from transportation, accommodations and venues, food and drinks, event materials, waste and energy, and more will help you create a strategy to eliminate and reduce them or take climate action through carbon offset projects.
During the event
• Capturing delegate perceptions, wants, and needs during the registration process to help with forecasting, demonstrating impact, and to ensure you’re accommodating to any accessibility needs.
• Monitor and measure sustainability initiatives throughout the event and respond as necessary.
• Work with your venue or caterer to raise awareness about sustainable food and drink offerings and initiatives through menu communications, mapping local food sourcing, etc. WWF has a Toolkit for Communicating Food Waste to Guests that may be useful.
• Record monetary or in-kind support for local organizations. Discover Halifax can help source organizations that are meaningful to your event for you.
After the event
• Request data from venue, accommodation, and suppliers. Some examples include:
» Food served (% meat, % non-meat, % of leftover food)
• Review delegate data collected during registration process around wants, needs, and perceptions. A follow-up survey could be provided to delegates to see if perceptions have changed.
• Measure your progress by comparing outcomes to baselines and goals.
• Prepare a sustainability report detailing the event’s human, social, economic, and environmental impacts. Include quantitative data, qualitative insights, and visual aids where possible. Make sure to include recommendations for improvements for the next event.
• Follow-up to share your event’s successes, lessons learned, and areas for improvement to all stakeholders. Back it up with metrics from your reports.
• Share your experiences on social media and highlight local businesses or organizations engaged. Be sure to tag Discover Halifax @MeetHalifax.
Support
Discover Halifax’s Business Events team is here to support you every step of the way. Our team offers a range of services to ensure your event is a success while minimizing its environmental impact. Here are some of the ways
Local vendor and venue recommendations
We can connect you with Halifax vendors, venues, and suppliers. Our network includes venues committed to sustainable practices, local artisans for gifts, and caterers who prioritize locally sourced ingredients.
Community connections and partnerships
Halifax’s business community is dedicated to inclusivity, diversity, and environmental stewardship. We can facilitate partnerships with local community groups, sustainable tourism experts, and DEI leaders to help your event reflect Halifax’s values and leave a positive impact on the community.
Customized itineraries and local experiences
Create an unforgettable event experience by incorporating unique Halifax activities that highlight the city’s history, cultures, and natural beauty. From coastal tours and wine-tasting excursions to historical site visits, we can craft custom itineraries that showcase the many sides of Halifax while supporting the local economy.
Additional Support
For any additional support or to start planning, reach out to Discover Halifax’s Business Events team. We’re here to help you create an event that not only meets your needs but also leaves a lasting, positive impact on Halifax and your delegates.
Appendix A: Organizations that Accept Food Donations
Organization Contact What
La Tablée des Chefs
info@tableedeschefs.org
450-748-1638
Second Harvest
donate@secondharvest.ca
416-408-2594
Too Good To Go
info@toogoodtogo.ca
Feed Nova Scotia
902-457-1900
La Tablée des Chefs Food Recovery program acts as a liaison between surplus food donors and local community organizations, who are responsible for collecting the food donations and redistributing them to people in situations of food insecurity.
To date, more than 200 donor establishments participate and support the food recovery program across the country.
Second Harvest finds surplus, edible food that businesses can’t use, and through their food recovery network, get it to the people in the communities who need it.
We save good food from going to waste, through Too Good To Go Platform, Too Good To Go Parcels and Surprise Bags.
Five days a week, their trucks collect food from places where it’s no longer needed and distribute it on the same day to one of 49 member agencies in Halifax and Dartmouth. This essential program helps reduce food waste and increases access to healthy, fresh food.
Organization
Margaret’s House
Contact
902-464-2919
Hope Cottage
Parker Street Food & Furniture Bank
Brunswick Street Mission
902-429-7968
902-423-4605
Halifax Community Fridge communityfridgehfx@gmail.com
What
Accepts premade meals and baked goods, such as casseroles, stews, sandwiches, cookies, muffins, and more as well as fresh produce and other non-perishable items.
Fresh produce, perishable and nonperishable items.
Fresh produce, perishable and nonperishable goods.
Fresh produce, perishable and non-perishable goods. Drop offs on Mondays.
Halifax Community Fridge aims to provide free, low-barrier access to fresh food in our community.
Dartmouth Community Fridge
SMU Community Food Room food.room@smu.ca
Salvation Army Family Services
Christ Church Community Foodbank
Out of the Cold Community Association
902-422-1598
902-466-4270
902-789-3713
A community fridge project is striving to provide zero-barrier, 24/7 access to free food for the community.
The SMU Community Food Room is the on-campus food bank for the Saint Mary’s University community. Right now, desired food donations include cooking oil, frozen meat, rice, canned or dried legumes, and canned vegetables.
Contact your local Salvation Army.
Food and clothing bank.
Currently looking for community support to sign up to make meals (lunches and suppers) for residents.
Appendix B: Delegate Checklist
Sustainable Choices
□ Only take what you need when you dine buffetstyle.
□ Choose plant-based or seafood options instead of meat and dairy.
□ Choose accommodations committed to sustainable practices.
□ Choose local restaurants and cafes that prioritize local and seasonal offerings.
Cultural Impact
□ Learn about and respect Halifax’s diverse local culture and heritage.
□ Visit local heritage sites to learn more about who we are.
□ Support the local arts and culture communities when choosing offsite activities.
Social and Economic Impact
□ Buy souvenirs and gifts from local shops and artisans.
□ Volunteer with fellow delegates during your stay. Or participate in your event’s legacy and impact programs.
□ Share your experiences on social media and highlight local culture and businesses using #DiscoverHalifax @MeetHalifax.
Environmental Impact
□ Bring a reusable tote bag and a water bottle.
□ Adhere to local waste sorting guidelines.
□ Provide an alternative to business cards.
□ Choose sustainable transportation options such as a train or car pooling.
□ If flying, book direct, economy class flights.
□ Explore Halifax by foot, bike, or Halifax Transit, which includes the ferry!
□ Follow leave-no-trace principles when visiting natural sites.
□ Limit your energy and water consumption at hotels. When leaving for an extended period, turn off the lights and AC.
□ Opt for fewer room cleanings during your stay and reuse linens and towels.
□ Make the most of your flight and stay a little longer! Explore the region slowly.
Appendix C: Glossary & References
Term
Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM)
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Definition
The HRM comprises more than 200 unique communities across nine distinct regions. Each region boasts its own rich history, distinct character, and exceptional experiences, making the Halifax region a tapestry of cultural and natural beauty. From bustling cityscapes to serene sea sides, Halifax has something for everyone to enjoy and explore.
The SDGs are 17 objectives adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015. They serve as a blueprint for achieving a prosperous and peaceful future for both people and the planet. Imagine them as interconnected goals that work together to address major global challenges. Progress on one goal can influence others, highlighting the need for a balanced approach to sustainable development. These goals consider social, economic, and environmental aspects to create a roadmap for a better world by 2030. sdgs.un.org
The GHG Protocol Corporate Standard classifies a company’s GHG emissions into three ‘scopes.’ Scope 1 emissions are direct emissions from owned or controlled sources. Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions (not included in scope 2) that occur in the value chain of the reporting company, including both upstream and downstream emissions. ghgprotocol.org
Carbon offsets or credits allow you to compensate for your greenhouse gas emissions by funding projects that reduce emissions elsewhere. For every tonne of CO2 produced, offsets can be purchased to reduce CO2 through credible, validated, and verified carbon offset projects that align with robust methodologies such as the Gold Standard. Carbon offsets should only be purchased for unavoidable emissions, meaning all efforts have been made to reduce carbon emissions.
References
Information referenced in designing this document, that may not have been quoted directly.
• HalifACT 2050, Acting on Climate Together, HRM, 2023
• Greenhouse Gas Protocol - http://ghgprotocol.org/
• Gold Standard - https://www.goldstandard.org/
• NetZero Carbon Events, Offsetting Guide, December 2023
• Global Destination Sustainability Index - https://www.gds.earth/
• GSTC MICE Criteria for Event Organizers, Global Sustainable Tourism Council, February 2024
• NetZero Carbon Events, Travel and Accommodation Guidance, 2023
• My Climate, Event Carbon Calculator - https://co2.myclimate.org/en/event_calculators/new
• Supplier Sustainability Assessment, Long Form, Government of Nova Scotia
• ICLEI Sustainable Event Guidelines, 2022
• NetZero Carbon Events, A Net Zero Roadmap for the Events Industry, November 2022
Footnotes
1. Crippa, M., Solazzo, E., Guizzardi, D. et al. Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions. Nat Food 2, 198–209 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00225-9
2. Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia - https://farmersmarketsnovascotia.ca/
3. Circular economy and waste: engagement, Nova Scotia Government https://novascotia.ca/circular-economy-andwaste-engagement/
