The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global call to action to address today’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges. The Government of Canada is helping to advance the SDGs through dialogue, participation and collaboration. Progress is a shared responsibility. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society effort to build stronger, safer, and more inclusive communities that leave no one behind.
Source: Governemnt of Canada
The Canadian Tulip Festival is in a unique position to support the SDG of Healthy Canadians. We offer an accessible outdoor experience that promotes walking and movement while enjoying the proven benefits of nature and gardens. We also are committed to including some form of Fitness Programming year after year, including our Tulip Legacy Walking Tour, and our Mother’s Day Fun Run in 2023.
The Canadian tulip Festival has been growing our Liberation Education Kit since 2019. This 6 Chapter Education Kit is the foundation for passing on information from generation to generation about the importance of freedom and international friendships. Our goal is to continue to expand on this program, offering multimedia support materials to keep learners engaged in the process. In addition we are committed to adding more Education Programs that speak to sustainability, stewardship, and the Algonquin land on which the Festival resides.
We have made great strides in reducing single use plastics, providing eco-packaging for Tulip Bulbs, and implementing solar power wherever possible. It is our hope that over the next 5 years, we will be in a position to fully implement the use of green generators to manage the Festival’s various energy needs. This effort alone would represent the largest reduction in the Festival’s environmental footprint and completely eliminate the use of gas powered generators currently required to power its needs, as we move towards Net Zero Impact.
The Canadian Tulip Festival is an equal opportunity organization, and works with hundreds of volunteers annually. We provide a training ground and valuable experience for New Canadians. Our team is LGBTQIA2S friendly, and welcomes BIPOC and disabled members to join our team. We are sensitive to specific needs, and work to ensure all volunteers are provided with roles that make them feel comfortable for the duration of the Festival. We also are committed to offering land acknowledgement at our Opening Ceremonies, asking guests to reflect on the stolen soil in which our tulips grow.
We provide our information and services in both official languages, English and French, thereby fostering a sense of inclusion among the Francophone Community. We also promote the use of Public Transit, as well as Cycling and Walking to the Festival Site, reducing air pollution.
We are committed to responsibly sourced, ethical, fair trade and local suppliers. Our Tulip Boutique features handcrafted items from local artisans,both online and in the park. Tulip Festival merchandise is also selected based on this framework. We are partnered with a local tulip farm to provide our cut tulips to customers, highlighting and supporting the local economy.
As our Festival site is located on the shores of Dow’s Lake at the base of the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, education and awareness about the impacts of pollution in our water is a part of our mission. We are working with Parks Canada to ensure that message is amplified.
Our Blacklight Boardwalk on Dows’ Lake is committed to telling the story of pollinators, the value of beekeeping, and the importance of stewardship. The Canadian Tulip Festival is also a careful steward of the land we use providing grounds remediation post festival, and have added additional gardens in the area year over year.
The Canadian Tulip Festival strives for meaningful partnerships with those that share a common goal of celebrating and commemorating our Veterans, while also understanding the value and importance of horticulture. We are proud to partner with esteemed institutions such as Veterans Affairs Canada, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the National Capital Commission, Parks Canada, the Dominion Arboretum and Ornamental Gardens, and the Canadian Agriculture and Food Museum.