Toronto Climate Week Challenge - Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 25, 2025

Introduction

At ZestyPlan Inc. ("ZestyPlan," "our," "us," or "we"), protecting your privacy is very important to us. We value the trust of those who participate in the Toronto Climate Week Challenge ("users," "you," "individuals," or "participants") and have created this Privacy Policy (the "Policy") to inform you of our policies and procedures regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information.

This Policy applies to ZestyPlan's Toronto Climate Week Challenge, including our challenge platform, associated websites, mobile applications, and services (collectively, the "Platform"), as well as our social media platforms and offline activities related to the Challenge.

This Policy forms part of our Terms of Use. Unless otherwise defined in this Policy, terms used in this Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms of Use.

By accepting this Policy and participating in the Challenge, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your Personal Information in accordance with this Policy. If you provide Personal Information about another individual (such as family members participating together), you agree that you have obtained their consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of their Personal Information as described in this Policy.

Object of the Policy

This Policy describes the Personal Information that we collect from you when you participate in the Toronto Climate Week Challenge, including when you register for the Challenge, use the Platform, submit meal photos, interact with our social media platforms, or attend any related events, and what may happen to that information. Generally, you can browse portions of the Platform without revealing your identity. However, to participate in the Challenge you will be required to provide Personal Information to us and will no longer be anonymous to us.

Personal Information Collection and Use

We collect, use, and disclose Personal Information via our Platform, social media, and through any Challenge-related activities. We may collect Personal Information when you register for the Challenge, submit meal completion photos, participate in surveys, or when you voluntarily share information with us.

Challenge Registration and Participation

  • Registration: When you register for the Challenge, we collect your name, email address, and location information (to identify Toronto-area participants for local impact tracking). We use this information to create your Challenge account, track your participation, and communicate Challenge updates and information.
  • Meal Completion: When you submit photos of your completed climate-smart meals, we collect the images and any accompanying information you provide. We use this information to verify Challenge completion, calculate environmental impact, and may feature completed meals (with your consent) in Challenge promotion and education.
  • Impact Tracking: We collect information about which recipes you choose and complete to calculate individual and collective environmental impact. This data helps us measure the Challenge's overall carbon reduction and provides participants with their personal impact metrics.
  • Location Data: We may collect location information to identify Toronto-area participants for local impact calculation and recognition, while maintaining participation open to all geographic areas.

Communication and Engagement

  • Email Communications: If you subscribe to Challenge updates or newsletters, we collect your email address to send you information about recipes, Challenge progress, environmental tips, and related content. With your consent, ZestyPlan & Toronto Climate Week may also send you updates about Toronto Climate Week and platform initiatives. You may unsubscribe at any time using the "Unsubscribe" link in our emails.
  • Social Media Sharing: If you choose to share your Challenge participation or completed meals on social media platforms, we may collect your social media details for recognition and community building purposes.
  • Surveys and Feedback: We may collect information through surveys to understand your Challenge experience, recipe preferences, and suggestions for improvement.
  • Contact Communications: If you use our Contact Us feature, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your communication to respond to your inquiries and provide support.

Platform Usage and Analytics

  • Website Usage: When you visit the Platform, we collect information about your usage patterns, pages visited, recipes viewed, and interactions with Platform features. This helps us improve the user experience and understand Challenge engagement.
  • Device Information: We may collect information about the device you use to access the Platform, including device type, operating system, and browser information for security and optimization purposes.

Partner Integration

  • Restaurant and Reward Partners: If you interact with our restaurant or reward partners through the Challenge, we may collect information about these interactions to facilitate partner benefits and measure partnership effectiveness.
  • Recipe Contributors: Information about recipe preferences and completions may be shared (in aggregate, anonymized form) with chef and recipe partners to improve future recipe offerings.

How We Use Your Personal Information

We use your Personal Information for the following purposes:

Challenge Administration

  • To register you for the Challenge and maintain your participation record
  • To verify meal completion through photo submissions
  • To calculate and track individual and collective environmental impact
  • To provide Challenge updates, recipe information, and educational content
  • To facilitate interactions with Challenge partners and reward programs

Communication and Engagement

  • To send you Challenge-related communications and updates
  • To respond to your questions and provide customer support
  • To send newsletters and educational content about sustainable eating and climate action
  • To recognize and celebrate Challenge participants and achievements

Platform Improvement and Analytics

  • To analyze Platform usage and improve user experience
  • To understand Challenge engagement and optimize features
  • To conduct research on sustainable eating behaviors and climate action
  • To generate reports on Challenge impact and outcomes

Marketing and Promotion

  • To promote the Challenge and its environmental benefits
  • To share success stories and participant achievements (with consent)
  • To develop future climate action initiatives and challenges
  • To support ZestyPlan's mission to democratize sustainable eating

Legal and Compliance

  • To comply with legal requirements and respond to legal processes
  • To protect our rights, privacy, safety, and property, and those of our users
  • To enforce our Terms of Use and prevent fraudulent or harmful activities

Personal Information Sharing and Disclosure

We will only disclose your Personal Information with your consent or if we have legal authority to do so, including in the following contexts:

Service Providers

We may employ third-party companies and individuals to facilitate or provide services related to the Platform (including hosting, data processing, email communications, analytics, payment processing, and customer support). These third parties only have access to Personal Information needed to perform their tasks and are contractually required not to disclose or use it for any other purpose.

Challenge Partners

With your consent, we may share certain information with:

  • Toronto Climate Week: For event integration and impact reporting
  • Recipe Contributors: Aggregate, anonymized data about recipe popularity and feedback
  • Restaurant and Reward Partners: Information necessary to facilitate partner benefits and recognition

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your Personal Information to meet legal, regulatory, or audit requirements, to respond to legal processes, to enforce our Terms of Use, to respond to claims of rights violations, or to protect the safety and security of our users and the public, as permitted or required by law.

Aggregated and Anonymized Data

We may share aggregated, anonymized information that cannot identify individual participants for research, reporting, and promotional purposes, including environmental impact reporting and sustainable eating research.

International Storage and Transfer of Personal Information

To provide our services, we may collect, use, disclose, store, or process Personal Information on servers located in various jurisdictions, including the United States, for the purposes described in this Policy. Privacy laws in such jurisdictions may differ from those where you reside. By participating in the Challenge, you consent to such transfer and storage of your Personal Information outside your jurisdiction of residence.

Data Security

ZestyPlan employs reasonable physical, technological, and administrative security measures to protect your Personal Information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We will make any legally required notifications of security breaches involving your Personal Information via email or conspicuous posting on the Platform in the most expedient time possible, consistent with law enforcement needs and measures necessary to determine the scope of the breach and restore system integrity.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

When you use the Platform, we automatically collect information through cookies and similar technologies, including:

Information Collected

  • IP address and general location information
  • Device type, browser type, and operating system
  • Pages visited, time spent on pages, and clickstream behavior
  • Date and time of visits and Platform usage patterns
  • Referring websites and exit pages

How We Use Cookies

We use cookies to:

  • Enable Platform functionality and maintain your session
  • Personalize your experience and remember your preferences
  • Analyze Platform usage and improve our services
  • Measure Challenge engagement and participation patterns
  • Provide security features and prevent fraudulent activity

Third-Party Analytics

We use analytics services such as Google Analytics to better understand Platform usage and Challenge engagement. These services may collect information about your activities across different websites over time. You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings, but disabling cookies may limit your ability to use certain Platform features. Most browsers allow you to:

  • View and delete cookies
  • Block third-party cookies
  • Block all cookies (though this may impact functionality)

Data Retention

We retain your Personal Information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including:

  • For the duration of your Challenge participation
  • To meet legal, accounting, or reporting requirements
  • To resolve disputes and enforce agreements
  • As required for legitimate business purposes

We may anonymize your Personal Information so that it can no longer be associated with you, and use this anonymized information for research, analysis, and reporting purposes to support sustainable eating initiatives and climate action research.

Your Rights and Choices

Access and Correction

You have the right to request access to and correction of the Personal Information we hold about you. To make such requests, please contact us at \[privacy email address\].

Withdrawal of Consent

You may withdraw your consent to certain uses of your Personal Information, though this may affect your ability to participate in the Challenge. We will explain the consequences of withdrawal to help you make an informed decision.

Communication Preferences

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by:

  • Using the "Unsubscribe" link in our emails
  • Contacting us directly at \[privacy email address\]
  • Updating your preferences in your Challenge account

Data Deletion

You may request deletion of your Personal Information, subject to legal requirements and legitimate business needs. Some information may need to be retained for legal compliance or to complete Challenge participation and impact reporting.

Account Deactivation

You may deactivate your Challenge account at any time by contacting us. Upon deactivation, we will cease using your Personal Information for Challenge communications and activities, though some information may be retained as described above.

Links to Other Websites

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or services, including those of our partners. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any websites you visit through links from our Platform.

Children's Privacy

The Challenge is designed to be family-friendly, and families may participate together. However, we do not knowingly collect Personal Information from children under 13 without parental consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately so we can take appropriate action.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or applicable laws. We will notify you of material changes by posting the updated Policy on the Platform and updating the "Last updated" date. Your continued participation in the Challenge after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy.

Contact Information

We welcome your questions and comments about privacy and data protection. Please send any questions, comments, or complaints to the attention of our Privacy Officer:

Email: contactus@zestyplan.com Address: Zestyplan Inc., 14 Degrassi Street, Toronto, ON, M4M 2K3

By participating in the Toronto Climate Week Challenge, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to this Privacy Policy.