Sustainability
One Entry = One Tree Planted
The WRICH Organizing Committee has partnered with One Tree Planted a non-profit organization focused on Global Reforestation.
For each entry to WRICH, $1 U.S. Dollar will be donated to plant one tree. Trees will be planted around the globe where they are needed most matching the global representation of competitors at WRICH 2023. Global reforestation projects can be found here.
Trees help filter the water we drink, clean the air we breathe and provide habitat to over 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity. Just as the World Championships brings together competitors from every continent, the WRICH partnership with One Tree Planted allows us to make a positive impact all over the world.


Sustainability at WRICH 2023
Sustainability is about more than just being “green.” WRICH 2023 aims to conduct the event in a meaningful and innovative way in order to create a positive impact, and leave a lasting impression, through our sustainability commitment.
The Canadian rowing community commits to respect and safeguard the environment where the sport of rowing is conducted. Our goal is to use this event as a catalyst to advance our long‐term objective of significantly reducing the environmental footprint of indoor rowing competitions in Canada.
Guiding Principles for WRICH 2023:
- Put systems in place that reduce the environmental footprint of the event.
- Execute the event in a manner that promotes and preserves the well-being of the participants.
Paperless Tickets
We aimed to minimize our environmental impact when making decisions for this event. An example of this with our virtual tickets. To curb paper consumption, we opted for virtual tickets and notified ticket purchasers that printing a physical ticket was not required – all they needed was the ticket on their smartphone. You can still purchase your tickets for the event here.
Paramount Fine Foods Centre
This year, WRICH 2023 will be held at the Paramount Fine Foods Centre (PFFC) in Mississauga. PFCC has made a number of changes in their commitment to minimizing its environmental footprint, including recently installing new LED Lighting that provides greater visibility but uses significantly less energy. PFFC also improved its air quality to ensure more fresh air is circulated through the venue.
During the event, recycling stations will be prominently displayed throughout the venue to ensure all recyclable materials are recycled by the City of Mississauga. Water refill stations will also be available for athletes and spectators who can bring their reusable water bottle to event and refill at no cost.
PFFC has done a tremendous job providing different food options to its patrons, including healthy selections, as well as options that meet various dietary restrictions. PFFC looks to source as much food as possible locally in Ontario. Excess food from operations at the venue are donated to local food bank partners to support the citizens of Mississauga.
In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), PFFC is committed to meeting the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities through identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to accessibility and inclusion. For more information, see here for considerations for the event.
It is prohibited to smoke on the Paramount Fine Foods Centre property, this includes the parking lots surrounding the facility.
Hotels
Hotel selection included an assessment of the sustainability practices at each hotel. Some of the hotels were Green Key Eco-Rating Program certified, demonstrating their commitment to improving their environmental impact. Other hotels have implemented sustainability practices like digital check-in, energy efficiency measures, water conservation measures and waste reduction. To help improve your environmental footprint, you can opt for optional turndown at all partner hotels during your stay.
Getting to PFFC
Shuttle buses operated by Mi-Way, Mississauga’s transit agency will be operating a complimentary shuttle between the WRICH partner hotels and the venue during the competition weekend. The shuttle schedules will be posted in the hotel lobbies and can be found on race weekend page here. Competitors will be able to use Mississauga’s public transit at no cost during the competition weekend to utilize the more efficient public transit system.
Health and Wellness
When we think about sustainability, we consider the health and wellbeing of our competitors and spectators. Competitors will have access to massage therapy and yoga sessions throughout the competition weekend.
Through Concept2, we will have RowErgs at PFFC that any spectator can try. We are hoping this will help promote the benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle, while also enticing the next wave of amateur or competitive rowers to pick up the sport.
Running the Event
In planning for WRICH 2023, we looked for ways to run the event with materials and equipment that could be reused for other events. Equipment and suppliers were rented, to ensure less waste generation and reuse was prioritized. Volunteers at the event will be using litter free wristbands throughout the weekend.
The Sustainability Team will be in the Marketplace throughout the event in case of any questions or comments on how we can improve for future WRICH events. Every small action makes a difference, and we hope to not only engage, but also educate people on how they can adopt a sustainability mindset moving forward!