Reducing Food Waste Strategic Initiative

Context
In 2024, Events East Group sought innovative ways to reduce food waste at the Halifax Convention Centre while enhancing community impact. The organization aimed for a collaborative process that would engage a multi-level project team, surface promising solutions, and ensure that actions were practical, aligned, and adaptable to evolving challenges.

Our Role
Colab facilitated the initiative through participatory sessions using Design Thinking methodology. We guided the project team to explore the challenge from multiple perspectives, generate and prioritize ideas, and outline approaches to prototype the most promising solutions. Six months into the initiative, Colab led a “course correction” session to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements, identify barriers, and collaboratively determine priorities for the next six months. Additionally, Colab supported ongoing strategic conversations through monthly check-ins to maintain momentum, track progress, and adapt to emerging needs.

Outcome
Over 5,000 meals per year are now being donated to community partners, demonstrating tangible impact and ongoing commitment to sustainability and community support. Several prototypes were developed through the process and have been highly successful.

The facilitated process strengthened Events East’s ability to reduce food waste while embedding a culture of learning, adaptability, and continuous improvement. The team left with clear priorities, actionable next steps, and a structured approach to turn strategic aspirations into sustained, measurable impact.