View the Emera Blue Nose Marathon 2024 Sustainability Report HERE.

Since inception, Blue Nose Marathon has been mindful of its impact on the environment and greater community. One of our core values is sustainability:

“We honour the land on which we operate and respect the resources that we use to ensure we are responsible to leave the community better than we found it.”

In 2018, Blue Nose Marathon was named the 2018 Sustainable Sport Event of the Year by the Canadian Sport Tourism Association (CTSA).  The CTSA Sustainable Sport Event of the Year award recognizes the outstanding achievements or contributions by individuals, companies or organizations that have helped advance sustainable and environmental stewardship within a Canadian sport event.

Continuing this commitment to sustainability, the Emera Blue Nose Marathon began completing third-party certification with the Council for Responsible Sport in 2023. The 20th annual event was awarded Gold status after demonstrating, measuring, and managing its social, economic, and environmental responsibility. This certification makes the Blue Nose Marathon the first responsible sporting event in Atlantic Canada to earn such recognition.

Building upon last year’s Gold certification, the 2024 event was proudly awarded Evergreen Level Responsible Sport Certification, the highest level of recognition within the world’s leading responsible sport certification program.

Some of our ongoing initiatives include:

• Bottle free in 2017. Thanks to Halifax Water, we are able to use the hydrants throughout the City for our hydration stations.
• Reducing carbon footprint. Thanks to Halifax Transit, we offer complimentary transit services to our participants and volunteers on race weekend.
• Re-use signage. We reuse signage year over year to reduce the amount of printed material on site on race weekend. Signs that are no longer relevant are repurposed at our water stations for stacking boards.

• Leftovers and left-behinds:
  • Nutrition. Like most events, despite best efforts, there is usually foods and drinks remaining. We work with organizations, such as Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, to ensure these items go into the hearts and hands of homeless people in Nova Scotia, not landfills.
  • Participant Shirts. Remaining participant shirts are upcycled by Prescott Group and converted into reusable bags, repurposed for other Blue Nose organized events. This initiative ensures our shirts can live on for daily use and stay out of our landfills.
  • Shoe Mountain. Each year, participants and community members are encouraged to bring their gently used footwear to Kit Pick Up. All shoes are then donated to those in need through partnering organizations, such as Souls Harbour Rescue Mission.
• Simons Green Bib. An option available in registration that allows participants to opt out of a participant shirt and medal, and instead, a portion of their registration fee is donated to Coastal Action to help protect and restore the environment.

For more information on our sustainability efforts, check out our 2024 Sustainability Report HERE.

We strive to do better. If you have any feedback on how we can improve, we want to hear from you. Please email admin@bluenosemarathon.com or call 902.496.1889.