Reducing Food Waste Strategic Initiative

Context
In 2024, Events East Group sought innovative ways to further 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 developmental evaluation session to reflect on progress, celebrate achievements, identify barriers, and collaboratively determine priorities and opportunities for improvement 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 3,000 meals per year are now being donated to community partners, demonstrating tangible impact and ongoing commitment to sustainability and community support. After a full year of prototyping, a food waste reduction program is on track for a formal launch in late 2025.

The facilitated process embedded a culture of learning, adaptability, and continuous improvement into the project, and the team left with a clear purpose, actionable next steps, and clarity on how to turn their aspirations into sustained, measurable impact.