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Hot Docs marquee
Photo by Paul Galipeau

Hot Docs has made serious commitments to reduce the environmental impact of our Festival.

We recognize that hosting a large event with thousands of attendees and international guests will always have environmental implications, but through the following initiatives we’re attempting to reduce the scope and scale of the Festival’s impact. These steps are just the beginning, and we welcome feedback and ideas on other projects or changes that we can make. Please forward your comments or suggestions to [email protected].

Greener Special Events and Venues
Hot Docs’ special events will use china, glass and/or biodegradable cups instead of disposable materials. And, whenever possible, catering partners will compost organic waste, recycle packaging materials and use local and seasonal food.

Hot Docs will ensure that recycling bins are available at all screening and industry venues and bottled water will not be provided or distributed directly by the Festival to any guests or delegates.

Hot Docs also partners with Curbside Cycle to provide all attendees discounts on bike rentals used for moving between Festival venues.

More Sustainable Merchandise
All Hot Docs delegate badges, volunteer and public T-shirts and stainless steel water bottles are provided by Axis Gear.

Reducing Paper and Printed Material at the Festival
All signage at Hot Docs is printed on recycled materials. Wherever possible, printed signage has been replaced by digital signage. In recent years, Hot Docs also eliminated the separate printing of audience ballots, special event invitations and our Program Guide, and also reduced the number of promotional mailings and paper materials provided to delegates. 

Greening the Office
Hot Docs’ year-round offices utilize energy-efficient lighting. Our printers and photocopier use recycled paper, and staff are encouraged to print only when needed and also to print double-sided. Hot Docs provides recycling programs for paper and non-paper producers. Obsolete computers and electronic equipment are delivered to an e-waste recycling facility. Staff are encouraged to use AutoShare car sharing and public transit for local travel. The office also only uses non-toxic cleaning products.

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