More information about the Green Event

Report on implementation of the 'Green event' standards (in Polish)

Trees planted as offset - certificate (in Polish)

In the course of the international Conference “EU Environmental Impact Assessment Directive – challenges and perspectives in the light of the past experiences and the recent proposal for amendment”, we will analyse and assess the proposals of the European Union to modify the provisions of this Directive. The aim of the proposed amendments is not only to improve the present regulation, but also to integrate into it the new environmental challenges (e.g. climate change, the loss of biodiversity and the availability of natural resources) and the unfolding socio-economic transformations.

The issues of contemporary environmental problems will not only be addressed in the contents of the contributions, but were also reflected in the manner in which the Conference was organised. Indeed, when planning and implementing the Conference we followed the Green Event standard. This means that we tried to choose such solutions which would bring tangible environmental and social benefits.

Our actions:

1. The Internet and e-mail were the most important tools to promote the Conference. Participants were registered electronically. Deliberately, we did not use paper leaflets and invitations. In this way, we avoided the generation of almost a thousand paper printouts of different kinds.
2. We printed the necessary conference materials on paper which had been awarded the EU Ecolabel. We used paper which had been produced with a significantly lower environmental impact compared with paper without any Ecolabel. We reduced pollutant emissions into the air and water. In addition, we handed out the conference materials to you in folders made from recycled cardboard.
3. It is difficult to imagine a successful conference without making sure that its participants get good coffee. However, the conditions of its production are not always good for local communities and the environment. The coffee to be served during the Conference was produced in accordance with the Fair Trade principles, guaranteeing a fair payment for the grower, the resources for the development of the local community, the appropriate social conditions for the workers and, moreover, compliance with the environmental standards in the coffee plantation.
4. Most of the fruit and vegetables to be served were chosen in accordance with the seasonality calendar and, as far as possible, came from crops grown within Dolnośląskie Voivodeship. In this way, we not only ensure the best nutritional value of meals and stimulate the growth of the region, but we also reduce the related food miles, i.e. the distance covered by the foods from their producer to the consumer. The lower the number of food miles is, the lower pollutant emissions are generated in the course of transport.
5. More than 85% of sea fisheries in the world and 68% of the fish stocks in the EU have been overfished to the limits of the biological recovery of the species which exist in them. We support the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy and, therefore, we decided not to serve fish endangered with extinction to the Conference participants. We will serve fish whose catches do not harm the environment, in accordance with the WWF Guide.
6. The production of chicken meat involves a lower water footprint than other kinds of meat do. In addition, chicken meat is considered to be healthier than pork or beef; for this reason the meat meals will include exactly chicken meat.
7. We calculated the carbon footprint, i.e. the carbon dioxide levels emitted in relation to the participants’ travel to the Conference, the energy consumption for the needs of the Conference Room, the preparation of the Conference materials and catering. We will offset the carbon footprint generated at the level of 6,969 kg of carbon dioxide by financing the planting of 47 trees.

We undertook to organise the Conference in accordance with the principles of the Green Event standard, since we are convinced that the present environmental problems can be solved not only by developing better legal regulations, but also by more responsible decisions taken by consumers.

We hope that the information given in the table below concerning the environmental impacts of the activities listed in the table will raise the environmental awareness of the Conference participants and make all of us, even if to a slight extent, better aware of the environmental consequences of our consumer choices (it is important to note that despite the measures taken to reduce emissions the planted trees will need 50 years to offset the emissions generated).

For the Scientific Committee of the Conference
Jerzy Jendrośka, Doctor of Laws
Magdalena Bar, Legal Counsel

Table. The estimated carbon dioxide emissions related to the Conference and the number of trees which will offset these emissions in a period of 50 years

Source: Calculations by the Aeris Futuro Foundation.

* Due to the lack of credible methodologies, the carbon footprint of other gifts such as a pendrive, a ballpoint or a plastic briefcase has not been estimated.

In implementing the Green Event standard we cooperated with the Aeris Futuro Foundation from Cracow, which carries out the Project “Green Events – An Education and Promotion Campaign”, co-financed with the resources of the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management within the Environmental Education Programme. More information can be found on: www.zielonewydarzenia.pl

Mirosław Bachorz has been the coordinator and author of the idea of the implementation of the Green Event.