Sustainability Pledge Our Sustainability Pledge
Our Sustainability Pledge
Organisers of the 7th World Bronchiectasis Conference recognise the importance of taking care of the environment and the environmental impact of hosting a conference. We commit to running our conference with a reduced environmental impact by working closely with our venues and suppliers to put in place environmental-friendly policies and best practices wherever possible. To achieve this, we put the following initiatives in place to reduce our impact on the environment every step of the way and contribute towards a safe and healthy environment.
EMBARC/Lena Group supports the Sustainability Policy of the conference venue, the Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee.
Organiser Organiser
Pre-event
- We use conference calls during the planning stage, reducing our carbon footprint by significantly removing travel for all the subjects involved in the organisation of the conference
- We aim to significantly reduce the amount of printed material at every stage of our event by using technology. When printed material is unavoidable, we will use recycled paper
- We implement a comprehensive waste management system with clear signage to ensure proper segregation and recycling of waste.
- We use media and electronic methods for abstract submissions, registration and confirmation, event promotion, general and delegate communication including e-newsletters and emails
- The conference programme will be printed in recycled paper
- We selected a conference venue which supports sustainable practice, has a good recycling policy and a robust waste management policy
- Venues selected for both the conference and the welcome reception are a short walk from the city centre, close to all travel links and a wide range of accommodation
- We selected local suppliers to avoid long distance transport of goods and people
- We selected local suppliers also to support the local community hosting the conference
During the event
- Name badges provided will be printed with recycled ink on recycled paper with no plastic bag. Lanyard will be completely recyclable too.
- We will be asking all delegates to return the lanyards provided for re-use
- All delegate bags, are biodegradable and undated to allow future use
- To minimise the environmental impact, we work with our conference venue to select fresh, locally or regionally sourced, seasonal food for the catering and order carefully to avoid food waste
- If takeaway cups are provided they will be compostable
- Ethical coffee breaks – coffee served within the conference venue is from Coffee Conscience, a Scottish based company offering Fairtrade beans (roasted in Dundee) with a percentage of revenue going to community projects in the UK and abroad
The Conference is hybrid to allow everyone interested to access the content live and reduce travel.
We encouraged our delegates and visitors to make sustainable choices where possible to help reduce their impact on the environment.Â
Travel
- Analyse the carbon footprint associated with your travel to and from Dundee by using this calculator. Our main hub airport of Edinburgh connects directly to over 150 destinations worldwide and to Dundee in one hour by bus. Consider limiting to a single plane journey per travel direction if you are able. Offset the carbon footprint by compensating unavoidable emissions through acknowledged projects, for example The UN Carbon Offset Platform
- Get active out and about in Dundee city. A compact city bursting with places of interest, history, and things to see, it is so easy to get around. Dundee’s active travel routes in and around the city have been developed over the last few years with a key objective to encourage travel through walking, cycling and public transport, and deploy sustainable alternatives to decarbonise transport
- The congress venue, the proposed hotels and the city centre for shopping and dining are all walking distance. If you are not able / comfortable to walk, we fully encourage the use public transport. When using a taxi, you may wish to consider sharing it with one of your fellow delegates
Hotel
- Select a hotel that supports sustainability activities where possible
- Consider selecting a hotel in the vicinity of the conference venue so you can walk to the venue or use a bike
- Only use the air conditioning if it is really necessary
- Turn off the lights and TV when leaving the room
- Select the type and amount of food during meals sensibly in order to avoid food waste
During the event
- Consider bringing your own reusable water bottle and refilling it
- Only pick up printed marketing and information material that you are really interested in and that you will use
- Help us increase our recycling rate by placing all waste and recyclables into the appropriate waste recycling bins
- Use only as many disposable items as you need (e.g. paper towels, napkins, utensils)
Delegates and Visitors Delegates and Visitors
Industry Exhibitors and Partners
During the event
We have encouraged our exhibitors and partners to consider the following:
- Use recyclable or reusable material for the stand construction
- Reduce unsustainable packaging and avoid using materials containing PVC
- Less is more – sponsors/exhibitors are encouraged to rethink the number of printed brochures and flyers or change to a digital version
- Rethink give-aways and offer sustainable versions
