If you’re a meeting planner committed to sustainability and healthy living, Ottawa’s got you covered.
Our city’s premier meeting facility, Shaw Centre, is a state-of-the art, LEED-Gold Certified, 192,000 sq.ft. meeting facility built with sustainability at the cornerstone of its operations. Built in 2011, ninety percent of the materials from the demolished Ottawa Congress Centre – which stood on the site of the new Shaw Centre – was either reused in the new building or recycled to keep it out of landfills. That’s only the start of the story – the Centre saves about 850,000 liters of water per year by harvesting rainwater from its roof, which is stored in a massive cistern for use in its toilets and irrigation system. All of the Centre’s meeting rooms have water coolers and use fully-compostable, corn-based cups to reduce the amount of water and plastic waste. In the kitchen, the Centre has a machine that uses aerobic digestion to break down organic waste and convert it into environmentally safe water, which flows directly into the sewer system and diverts close to 190 tons of food waste from landfill each year. Perhaps most significant of all, however, is that the Centre uses 39 percent less energy than a conventional building its size, thanks to efficient lighting, heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment.
The Shaw Centre is also committed to social sustainability, operating a Community Donations Program that enables clients to ‘pay it forward with what’s left behind’ by donating leftover goods and food to the local community with the assistance of volunteer Shaw Centre colleagues. Excess food from events held at the Centre is regularly donated to the Ottawa Mission and other shelters for the homeless in our community. In fact, when a leading Canadian grocer held its National Kickoff at the Centre, the company generously donated over 100,000 lbs of food. A volunteer team from Shaw Centre packaged it all up and delivered it to local food banks. But it’s not all about food. Recently the Ottawa International Auto Show had over 25,000 square feet of carpet left over from its event. Not wanting this to go to waste, Shaw Centre volunteers contacted Habitat for Humanity who were happy to accept the donation.
Complimenting Shaw Centre’s green initiatives are a suite of healthy activities for delegates to enjoy. The Shaw Centre is ideally located to allow delegates to take full advantage of the unparalleled, four-season, recreation amenities available in Canada’s capital. Those who like a morning jog can step outside the Centre and directly on to a recreation path that runs right along the World Heritage Listed Rideau Canal. Alternatively, delegates can rent a bike and ride directly on to the Capital’s 800 kilometres of paved pathways. In summer, delegates are just a block away from Yoga on the Hill, a massive weekly outdoor yoga session on Parliament Hill that even the Prime Minister has been known to swing by to. Just ten minutes west of Parliament Hill, delegates can experience the thrill of whitewater rafting on the Ottawa River, in the middle of the city. In winter, they can rent skates right outside Shaw Centre and glide along the world’s largest skating rink, the Rideau Canal. And any time of year, they’re just 20 minutes away from hiking, rock climbing, zip-lining, mountain biking and skiing in the nearby Gatineau Hills.
Contact the Ottawa Tourism team to explore Ottawa as your next meeting destination – [email protected]
Shaw Centre Photo by tsaiproject
