Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity provides programs, accommodation, and/or food services to over 25,000 participants and 50,000 audience members a year. The Centre has identified numerous opportunities where waste can be reduced or avoided, and has reduced the amount of material entering the waste stream and going to landfills.
Waste Audits
Waste Audits are performed cyclically by Banff Centre departments to establish benchmarks and identify possible improvements in waste reduction practices. These audits have successfully assisted in the reduction of waste on campus.
- Food & Beverage Waste Audit (December 2006)
- Banff Centre Waste Audit Program (November 2005)
- Banff Centre Waste Audit Program (Summer 2005)
- Banff Centre Waste Audit Program (Spring 2005)
Products
- Here are some examples of products specifically chosen by The Food & Beverage department for their low or no waste impact:
- In order to avoid the waste that results from individual packaging, food products are purchased in bulk wherever possible, which arrive in large plastic pails. These pails are reused in other departments throughout the Centre.
- 100 per cent recycled napkins, wooden and organic pasta stir sticks, and recyclable tableware are used.
- Compostable take-away Earth Cups are standard - a new bio-degradable cup lined with a plant based coating instead of the traditional petroleum. The use of reusable coffee cups is also encouraged.
- Styrofoam take-away food containers have also been replaced by recyclable or compostable take away containers.
- The use of bottled water is strongly discouraged.
- During the Banff Mountain Festivals, Mountain Culture offers a more costly Mountain Equipment Co-op PVC-free registration kit that can be used repeatedly by Festivals guests.
- Banff Mountain Film Festival T-shirts are made of organic cotton.
- Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour draw prize Capilene ZIP-T shirts, supplied by Patagonia and Polartec, are made from 50 per cent recycled material, and are 100 per cent recyclable when worn-out.
Paper
- All copy paper used by departments is 100% recycled.
- Staff are encouraged to reduce their use of paper by increasing their use of electronic filing and printing pages double-sided.
- Mountain Culture's Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour Magazine is printed on Ancient Forest Friendly100 per cent recycled paper.
- The Xerox printing centre uses recycled or FSC certified paper only.
