H2020 workshop: How to organise greener events in the Mediterranean

A workshop on how to organize greener events in line with sustainability principles was organised last December with the support of the EU-funded Horizon 2020 initiative, which assisted in the development of the main tool used, the ‘Sustainable Events Toolkit for the Mediterranean’.

Targeting ‘ staff from inter- and non-governmental organizations, private enterprises (travel agencies, hotels, event organizers) and even some public institutions, the workshop brought together 42 participants from Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. The workshop introduced participants to the notion of sustainability in events’ management, presented the impacts and benefits of holding a ‘green’ event, and outlined concepts such as the ‘Life Cycle’ approach and carbon and water footprints. Given that most of the trainees are involved in events management at a professional level, the course was delivered mainly through exercises and the Sustainable Events Toolkit for the Mediterranean, a web-based tool which provides a useful selection of means, resources and examples to help make all types of meetings (from small workshops to large scale international conferences) more sustainable. The toolkit consists of a step-by-step checklist, which takes the user through the key elements of organizing an event, and includes examples of sustainable events, as well as a selection of sustainable events guidance and standards and an interactive map to find sustainable suppliers in the region. Summing up the essence of the workshop, Professor Scoullos, Horizon 2020 CB/MEP Team Leader, said: “The main message and achievement of this workshop is that all participants are now considering the factor of sustainability when planning events. However, it is not easy, especially when you want to address issues in depth. Although you can no longer do ‘business as usual’ in events planning, greening needs to follow a case-by-case approach.”    Recognizing the practicality and benefits of the course, participants and organizers alike renewed their commitment towards a follow-up workshop to go deeper into some of the tackled matters. The Horizon 2020 initiative aims to improve the quality of life of more than 420 million citizens living in the 25 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is an umbrella programme drawing together all the policies, strategies and action plans for enhancing environmental protection. Horizon 2020 has mechanisms in capacity-building, research, monitoring and review that place the initiative in an excellent position to address the challenges it faces and ensure the efficient and effective use of the available resources. The inclusion of the Horizon 2020 Initiative as one of the six components of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) adds to the political impetus to address major environmental challenges.

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Press release 

Sustainable Events Toolkit for the Mediterranean 

Horizon 2020 - website