Making Eurovision sustainable was no easy feat. There are food and beverages to consider, transport, energy, waste disposal and much more. But Susanna Winblad, a project manager for the City of Malmö, took on the challenge, armed with just ISO 20121 and the belief that doing the right thing should be easy. The result : a positive and inspiring experience. Here she shares with us her tips, lessons learned and other useful titbits.
ISOfocus : Why did Eurovision decide to use ISO 20121 ?
Susanna : We felt that it was an opportunity for the City of Malmö to enhance its profile as a green destination. The standard was a tool that would help us highlight sustainability issues in our communication with partners and procurement services.
Can you describe some of the initiatives taken ?
In Malmö we believe that doing the right thing should be easy, so we made acting sustainably stress-free for participants and staff with the following initiatives :
- Transport that flows : we ensured free and easy public transportation for all delegates and the press, and encouraged visitors to take the train to the arena.
- Ecolicious food : we served, recommended and promoted ecological and locally produced food.
- Tippy tap water : we handed out refillable bottles to press and delegates, and made sure water taps were easily available in key locations
- Recycle it : we made recycling easy for participants.
- Education : we taught all volunteers (550 persons) about sustainability and how to become role models
What did you find to be the biggest challenge ?
It was hard to think of measurable goals when defining social and economic sustainability.
How many staff worked on the project?
I worked full time during the project and had an assistance who worked 20% on implementation.
What were the main results and impacts ?
I have not yet finished working it out, but here are a few examples :
- Implementation of a new ticket system for public transport that helped avoid long queues and hassle
- Development of a new recycling system for events, which we plan to re-use in the future
- 80 000 cups of ecological and fair-trade coffee served
- Use of refillable tap-water bottles, which have 1 000 times less impact on the environment than factory-bottled water.
Do you have any tips or advice for ISO 20121 users ?
Communication with all those involved is very important. And keep abreast of tasks delegated to others in the organization, for sustainability must always remain a core value in the project. Above all, don't aim too high, and celebrate your success!
