Ottawa is a green destination with many elements of sustainability. With electric boats on waterways, over 800 kilometres of bike paths, a Greenbelt which surrounds the core of the city and an internationally award-winning and LEED-certified Shaw conference centre, you can connect with nature and visit responsibly in a variety of environmentally-friendly ways.
Low and no carbon ways to see the city
Ottawa’s downtown is compact and walkable, with Parliament Hill, the ByWard Market, delicious restaurants, diverse shopping, and multiple national museums and monuments within a short walk of each other. 800+ kilometres of bike paths criss-cross the city, and businesses like Escape Bicycle Tours and Rentals and RentABike offer bike rental to help you get around. To travel further afield, Ottawa’s electric Light Rail Transit system is a carbon-free way to get around, as are the fleet of OC Transpo public busses (4 of which are zero-emission!) To see the city by water, the Water Taxi Eh and Rideau Canal Cruise are fully electric options open seasonally.
Sustainable stays
Sleep well knowing you’re lessening your impact on the environment! At the LEED registered reStays Ottawa, the green roof reduces the heat island effect and high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment saves energy. In Ottawa’s west end, the Hyatt Place Ottawa-West boasts solar panels, eco-friendly products and has won a Green Key Five Star Award for the ways in which their property works to protect the planet. And Brookstreet Hotel is powered by 100% renewable energy from Bullfrogpower among other sustainability initiatives.
Eco-friendly bites
In downtown Ottawa, Queen St. Fare produces no landfill waste and uses fully compostable and recyclable packaging. Fauna Food + Bar supports local farmers through its farm-to-table cuisine, as does Aiana Restaurant Collective which relies on Canadian ingredients cultivated or grown wild in and around Ottawa. A 30-minute drive from downtown Ottawa in Almonte, Vodkow turns unused milk sugars into a carbon neutral vodka that reduces waste and tastes great.
Experience Ottawa sustainably
Discover the capital in an eco-friendly way. With C’est Bon Ottawa for foodies and Ottawa Walking Tours for history buffs, there’s a walking tour for everyone. Learn about the natural landscape on an Ottawa City Rafting tour just minutes from downtown or get your adrenaline pumping in the wilderness at OWL Rafting or Wilderness Tours.
Ottawa Tourism has taken the Sustainable Tourism 2030 Pledge, committing to measuring and improving the progress of becoming a more sustainable destination by 2030.
