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Green events
The environment is on
your event’s guest list
EventScotland
24 April 2009
What we will cover
• the changing climate
• green role models
• simple steps to green
What we will cover
• the changing climate
• green role models
• simple steps to green
Tourism’s environmental
dilemma
•
tourism employs 200,000 people in Scotland and generates
spending of over £4 billion per year
•
many come to Scotland for its unspoilt beauty. This
wilderness is being threatened by climate change
•
each US East coast visitor emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 from their
flight - enough to fill a hot air balloon
•
CO2 from UK hospitality buildings would fill Murrayfield 9,400
times
•
the UK and Scotland have 34% carbon reduction targets to
meet by 2020. Targets will bite (and be tightened). Aviation is
likely to be taxed
Audiences expect ‘eco’
• ‘eco’-tourism is growing 3 times faster than
conventional tourism *
• for example: 27% chose a tour operator for its
eco-ethos. An additional 58% said the ecoexperience made a better holiday **
• sponsors, funding bodies are also increasingly
concerned about environmental footprints
• focus on: air miles, food miles, energy, waste,
recycling, carbon neutral
* International Ecotourism Society
** Wilderness Scotland, customer survey 2008
The question for many organisers
“how can I do the right thing,
simply, and improve my event
at the same time?”
What we will cover
• the changing climate
• green role models
• simple steps to green
T in The Park
• green push driven by audience pressure,
concern for the planet (bad publicity?)
• transport: growing proportion of coaches, buses
• recycling: cup, can, battery and tents
• climate: CO2 emissions offset, overseas projects
• results: PR and ‘Clean and Green’ prize…
ExCel
• energy: invested in CHP, halving CO2 emissions
and costs
• transport: well linked via DLR and buses
• waste: food goes to the 300,000 wriggling
inhabitants of its wormery
• result: fertiliser is sold to garden centres,
generating an income
EICC: Plan-it green scheme
• management: staff work closely with event
organisers to source local food…
• choose recycled products
• encourage use of public transport…
• make contributions to local tree planting to
balance delegates' travel emissions
• result: green service to clients
What we will cover
• the changing climate
• green role models
• simple steps to green
Simple steps to green
Simple steps to green
• diagnosis of your environmental
performance, benchmarked against other
events
• carbon reduction programme, including
energy, food and drink, transport and waste
• carbon offset or balancing
• communication
Sample diagnosis
Reduction
Identify quick wins and cost saving:
• venue choice
• sources of food and drink
• mode of transport
• destination of waste
Carbon neutral, balancing
• Cost depends on project type,
location. 50p for local delegate £50 for NZ
local: community
investment
• Local carbon balancing or
overseas?
• Who pays?
- organiser
- delegate: compulsory, opt-in,
opt-out
overseas: verified
compliance credits
Communication
• logos, invites, delegate collateral, web
• introductory address
• posters, display boards
• interactive carbon footprinting of delegates
• press release and PR
Summary
• people expect green - and it’s a differentiator
• management of your event starts with its
environmental health check
• energy, food, transport and waste
• go beyond this to carbon neutral
• strong position for communication to
delegates and wider audiences
Contact
Charles Henderson
Director
e: [email protected]
t: 07740 946955
www.climatefutures.co.uk
footprints : reduction : benchmarking :
carbon credits : communication
Additional slides
• environmental issue recap
• CarbonNeutral events
• Ipsos Mori polls
‘eco’ themes for event organisers:
quick recap
• environment
- climate and carbon
- waste
• ethical sourcing and investment
• people and communities
Climate change
• urgent need to reduce emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 80% by
2050 (Climate Bill target)
• this will limit temperature rises to a minimum
two degree rise - could rise as much as five
degrees by the end of the century
• what is changing? weather, biosphere,
agriculture; energy sources; culture: perception
of consumption, travel and energy
source:
IPCC
Waste
• globally, people are using 25% more natural
resources than the planet can replace
• if everyone in the world was as wasteful as we
are in the UK we would need three planets
• the average person in the UK throws out their
body weight in rubbish every 3 month
sources: FoE, WWF
Ethical sourcing and investment
Procurement:
• 40% of UK food is imported
• $604bn of imports in 2006 ($450bn exports)
Finance:
• about 1% of the £500 billion of UK pension
investments is defined as ‘ethical’
• in the US, one in eight dollars is invested ethically ie it
is screened for arms, tobacco, alcohol
Q: what proportion is harming the climate?
sources: wiki, Aon consulting, Ethical Investment Association
People and communities
• do venues, contractors operate under an equal
opportunities policy?
• are clients’ products, services and approaches
ethical?
• do clients contribute to their local communities?
• does the organiser contribute to local
communities?