GentleWays for OurPlanet is organising a Lunch and Learn on March 10, 2026, in collaboration with VegOttawa, the Plant Based Cities Movement and the University of Ottawa Sustainability Centre. This session brings together City of Ottawa councillors and staff, local environmental organisations, and University of Ottawa students.
The purpose of the event is to highlight the environmental and public-health benefits of plant-forward meals and to explore how municipal food policies and initiatives can support the City’s sustainability and climate-resilience objectives. Recent findings from the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission underscore the important role food policy can play in effective climate action.
A number of Canadian institutions and municipalities — including Toronto, Brampton, Kingston, Richmond Hill, and North Vancouver — have embraced plant-forward measures as part of their climate and environmental plans. This session will feature perspectives from experts, a medical professional, and student voices.
The event offers a constructive opportunity for our City to consider evidence-based plant-forward approaches that could align well with existing municipal climate and public-health initiatives.
This particular session is not open to the public, as it is designed as a focused policy dialogue by invitation. We are, however, in the process of considering future Lunch & Learn gatherings that will be open to the broader community, and we look forward to sharing insights and highlights from this session with you.