Businesses globally have been compelled to find efficient, eco-friendly venues to host events more sustainably to meet their ever-evolving environmental, social and governance (ESG) mandates. With the world’s third-highest percentage of sustainable hotels, Toronto has quietly established itself as a global leader in eco-friendly gatherings—and other major cities are taking note. 

These eco-friendly front-runners are worth hosting your next corporate event at, for more reasons than one. 

For food-focused parties

Ration | Beverley

Take part in an ever-evolving tasting experience at this chic no-food-waste restaurant, where the menu is constantly changing depending on what the chefs are able to source locally.

An indoor vertical food lab grows all the microgreens and herbs for both the kitchen and bar, and in the summer on the rooftop terrace. The kitchen sources only ethically sourced fish, meats and produce, and prides itself on using every part of an ingredient. Miso, shoyu, garum and their signature tasty paste, for example, are created from food scraps, and unused fruit and herbs are dehydrated and preserved.

Serving a variety of flavourful locally sourced vino, it’s a great spot to gather your group for an unforgettable dining experience they’ll rave about again and again.

Avling

This airy, pastel-coloured restaurant and brew pub serves up dishes designed for sharing. Its menu is inspired by the Canadian landscape, with every ingredient sourced locally and grown organically. Food and drinks are constantly rotating, so there’s always a new farm-to-table tasting experience. 

On tap, a range of experimental beers make the perfect pairings for plates like chanterelle mushroom flatbread, cheesy stuffed jalapenos and beer-can chicken. Visit its rooftop garden, home to hundreds of plants and flora, which wholy supports both the kitchen and bar in the summer with seasonal herbs and vegetables. As Toronto’s only privately owned rooftop garden, it’s a sought-after spot to host parties for green thumbs. 

For meetings and overnights

Westin Harbour Castle

This elegant, upscale hotel not only boasts the most spectacular views of the Toronto harbourfront, it uses green electricity to power its lobby and restaurants. Suites feature a new water filtration system, so guests have a sustainable source of water at their fingertips, eliminating the need for single-use bottles. 

On the roof, gardens provide all the herbs for the kitchen and a beehive sanctuary provides the perfect home for these helpful pollinators. Sample the honey alongside Ontario-sourced charcuterie and fluffy macaroons in the dining area or bar. With many spacious meeting rooms and catering options, it’s an ideal place to host and accommodate large groups.

1 Hotel Toronto

Step into a sustainable, bohemian-forest hotel inspired by Toronto’s diverse natural environment. Every space teems with lush foliage inside and out seamlessly blending the interior and exterior, and all wood furnishings are made from reclaimed Toronto trees—find the coordinates where it once stood stamped on it!

Proudly offering Trip Advisor’s top-three restaurants in the city—Casa Madera, Harriet’s Rooftop Bar and 1 Kitchen—there’s no shortage of delicious, sustainably prepared meals, artisanal cocktails and areas to socialize. Look no further than the restaurant’s chalkboard to discover where each local wine and ingredient comes from.

Offering a variety of beautifully decorated meeting rooms and event spaces, 1 Hotel helps hosts better optimize and measure the eco footprint of their event through their innovative partnership with sustainability consulting firm, Footprint Group. They’ll work with you to create a clear plan to execute your vision and achieve the credits required for a Certified Sustainable Gathering.

For large events

Metro Toronto Convention Centre

MTCC’s state-of-the-art facilities are equipped for community events, performing arts, corporate functions and everything in between, and its environmental offset options make it easy to host an event that puts a green foot first. Every event and exhibitor has the opportunity to reduce their eco-footprint by diverting waste from the landfill, participating in recycling programs, donating leftover food and using green electricity via Bullfrog Power.

Exhibition Place

The Ex pioneered the GREENSmart program, which serves as a model for other organizations to successfully operate sustainably. Encompassing five venues and many tenants, it’s a great example of how green energy can be an effective alternative to power large networks. 

The Horse Palace, Enercare Centre, East Annex and Better Living Centre are self-sustaining, with large rows of solar panels on their roofs providing power to every building in Exhibition Place. Together, these panels reduce CO2 emissions by 200 tonnes annually. It’s also home to North America’s first urban wind turbine, which is capable of generating one million kilowatt hours of power per year, and helps to displace some of the harmful chemicals responsible for smog and acid rain. 

The elimination of single-use plastics, energy-efficient lighting, an urban forestry program and designated spots as well as free charging for electric vehicles are just a few of the other initiatives you’ll find at Exhibition Place.

For inspiration

The Bentway

The Bentway epitomizes the type of insightful, forward-thinking projects needed in cities in order to maintain balance and stability with nature. Explore the many ways the built urban environment can seamlessly coexist with nature at this revitalized 1.75-kilometre stretch of land under the Gardiner Expressway. 

Formerly an uninhabited concrete jungle, its unique microclimate leverages stormwater runoff from the highway above to support urban ecology. Its public space aims to stir discussion on conservation, recycling and sustainability with rotating art installations, performances, conversations and community events, demonstrating new possibilities for adaptive reconfigurations of empty concrete spaces.

Among its recent attractions are: Balete Bulate Bituka—an otherworldly creature made of bamboo, living plants and single-use plastics destined for the landfill; and Atmospheres, a reimagined storage container, which uses environmental and wind data collected under the Gardiner to create music and video. Explore the exhibits on foot, by roller skate, or ice skate in the winter, and ignite creativity.

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