Canadian Sport Sustainability Initiatives 2025
One of the founding goals of Green Sports Day is to celebrate the remarkable work being done across Canada and inspire others to do the same.
Here is a list of all the initiatives accomplished in Canada in 2025!
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Launched their Climate Action Plan, outlining the organization’s plan to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040 – objectives to which the COC is committed as a signatory of the United Nations Sport for Climate Action Framework. The plan is an essential piece of the Team Canada Impact Agenda and recognizes both the immediate need for action, and the need for a long-term sustainability commitment.
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The COC also launched the 2025 NSO Sustainability Pilot Project, with the support of the International Olympic Committee to three National Sport Organizations – Canada Artistic Swimming, Cycling Canada and Freestyle Canada. Through this initiative, these organizations benefit from the expertise and support of Racing to Zero on a multi-phase sustainability project focused on developing a sustainability strategy, establishing an emissions baseline, and educating internal staff on sustainability.
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The 2025 Canada Games, held in St. John's, Newfoundland, placed an immense importance on sustainability throughout the entire Games cycle. Examples of initiatives undertaken include offering free public transportation to ticket holders, collaborating with Second Harvest to redistribute surplus food to local charities, donating medical supplies and sporting equipment to local communities after the Games, and planting thousands of trees as part of a local tree planting program!
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Launched their Sustainable Sport Event Toolkit, a vital resource that will support the Canada Games Host Societies in adopting more sustainable event hosting practices.
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Received the OLY Legacy grant for her work with Green Sports Day Canada, organizing annual events and campaigns that serves as a national platform to engage athletes, organizations, and communities in conversations and actions addressing pressing environmental challenges.
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Received the OLY Legacy grant for her work with Rising Tides, a grassroots environmental initiative that removes waste from local beaches, lakes, rivers, and the ocean, while educating the public on the effects of polluting waterways and empowering individuals to take action.
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Working with WSP on a project to quantify and reduce her GHG emissions as an elite athlete. Through this project, she is gathering data, with the support of WSP, to suggest a competition calendar with a smaller environmental impact to FIS. She also worked closes with the organizing committee for the Lac-Beauport Aerials World Cup 2025 to implement various measures to reduce the environmental impact and resources used.
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The Banff Marathon partnered with Karbon-X to allow participants to offset their impact from travel to the race through a series of carbon offset solutions.
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Announced a new partnership with Karbon-X to feature the Karbon-X logo featured on the Oilers away jersey, and work together to review its own operations and find ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
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The Canada Running Series once again prioritized sustainability in numerous ways across both their Toronto and Vancouver events. A few of their initiatives included continuing their 'Green Bib' program, allowing participants to opt for a donation to the Trans Canada Trail in lieu of a race day t-shirt; using 100% electric-powered generators for the Vancouver half marathon and 5K; and partnering with ChopValue to produce medals made entirely of recycled chopsticks that were destined for landfill.
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Also hosted by the Canada Running Series, the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon was awarded Evergreen Certification by the Council for Responsible Sport for the second time. One key initative was transforming 150 kg of heat sheets into a park bench through their partnership with Green Event Ninjas and GreenWell Plastics, which was then donated to the local community.
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The RBC Canadian Open renewed its commitment to sustainability at their 2025 event. Specific goals included 70% waste diversion during tournament week, using alternate fuel and power supply, offering event shuttles and on-site bike valet, and eliminating over 70,000 water bottles by providing on-site drinking fountains.
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Speed Skating Canada partnered with Svante Technologies Inc. (Svante) and launched the "Save the Ice" campaign. This initiative aims to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on winter sports and enable Canadians to contribute to climate action. Svante specializes in carbon capture and removal technologies.
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BC Place is the first Canadian stadium to implement a reusable cup program for all draft beer, cocktails, and wine, marking the venue’s next step towards its mission to achieve Zero Waste Certification by 2026. In collaboration with Vancouver-based company ShareWares, the program eliminates the need for new materials and manufacturing for each serving, offering a more sustainable alternative to single-use recycling and composting.
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The Canadian Grand Prix has implemented several sustainability initiatives as part of Formula 1’s broader commitment to becoming net zero by 2030. Key efforts include rescheduling the event to late May to reduce carbon emissions by optimizing logistics and avoiding unnecessary freight travel across the Atlantic. The event promotes sustainable transportation, with 97% of attendees using lower-carbon travel methods. Additionally, the Grand Prix engages local communities through programs like STEM education for youth and supports vulnerable groups.
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Canada’s NorthStar SailGP Team sat atop the SailGP 2025 Impact League standings after winning the 'Climate Action' focus area for the very first time. The team won through an initiative working with Dalhousie University’s Community Eelgrass Restoration Initiative, where NorthStar led Atlantic Canada’s largest-ever eelgrass planting. Through this, 45 youth sailors planted 2,000 shoots off the coast of Halifax - restoring critical marine habitat, locking away carbon and strengthening the shoreline against storms.