Sustainability
Conferences. Great for learning, networking and forming new collaborations. All with the intention of advancing our fields and generating innovative ideas for protecting our oceans and our planet. But attracting an international audience can come at a cost, and at the expense of the environments that we are working hard to protect. As a reef conservation committee, we, with the help of our venues and partners, attempted to make ECRS 2017 as environmentally friendly as we could. Find out below how we made ECRS 2017 an environmentally friendly conference
Re-usable water bottles
In order to cut down on the use of single use plastics, ECRS 2017 delegates went #oneless by bringing along their own re-usable water bottles.
Coffee on the go!
Delegates were provided with a free bamboo re-usable coffee mug to use throughout the conference and to take away with them. Many coffee shops are now offering discounts for using re-usable mugs as an incentive to cut down on waste!
Paper free!
Our full programme was only be available as an e-programme, accessible through the website and the conference app.
Carbon offsetting
We teamed up with the World Land Trust who attended ECRS to help us offset our carbon emissions. We offset our carbon emissions as a committee for all conference associated travel. Attendees were also encouraged to offset their own carbon emissions for their travel to ECRS. The money raised went towards the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions by Deforestation and Forest Degradation) Project for Caribbean Guatemala: The Conservation Coast. This project protects tropical rainforests and prevents the conversion of forests to cropland and pasture, and has achieved certification from the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standard (CCBA), meaning it can produce Verified Carbon Units (VCUs), which are certified emission reductions. In addition, the project has social (e.g. engaging with fisherman in reef monitoring), and biodiversity benefits (protecting species such as Jaguar, Tapir, the West Indian Manatee, the Guatemalan Black Howler Monkey, and the Neotropical River Otter).
Pedal powered phone charging
We teamed up with Pedal Emporium to promote cycling and sustainability! Delegates charged their phones while getting a work put at the same time, and many delegates competed to see who could generate the most power!
Conference catering
To limit our carbon footprint we opted for a fully vegetarian menu. Our venue caterers were committed to delivering excellent, ethical and local food including; free-range eggs, 100% Fairtrade coffee, wholegrain, wholemeal bread, Fairtrade juices and using Red Tractor Certified suppliers.
Re-usable water bottles
In order to cut down on the use of single use plastics, ECRS 2017 delegates went #oneless by bringing along their own re-usable water bottles.
Coffee on the go!
Delegates were provided with a free bamboo re-usable coffee mug to use throughout the conference and to take away with them. Many coffee shops are now offering discounts for using re-usable mugs as an incentive to cut down on waste!
Paper free!
Our full programme was only be available as an e-programme, accessible through the website and the conference app.
Carbon offsetting
We teamed up with the World Land Trust who attended ECRS to help us offset our carbon emissions. We offset our carbon emissions as a committee for all conference associated travel. Attendees were also encouraged to offset their own carbon emissions for their travel to ECRS. The money raised went towards the REDD+ (Reducing Emissions by Deforestation and Forest Degradation) Project for Caribbean Guatemala: The Conservation Coast. This project protects tropical rainforests and prevents the conversion of forests to cropland and pasture, and has achieved certification from the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Alliance Standard (CCBA), meaning it can produce Verified Carbon Units (VCUs), which are certified emission reductions. In addition, the project has social (e.g. engaging with fisherman in reef monitoring), and biodiversity benefits (protecting species such as Jaguar, Tapir, the West Indian Manatee, the Guatemalan Black Howler Monkey, and the Neotropical River Otter).
Pedal powered phone charging
We teamed up with Pedal Emporium to promote cycling and sustainability! Delegates charged their phones while getting a work put at the same time, and many delegates competed to see who could generate the most power!
Conference catering
To limit our carbon footprint we opted for a fully vegetarian menu. Our venue caterers were committed to delivering excellent, ethical and local food including; free-range eggs, 100% Fairtrade coffee, wholegrain, wholemeal bread, Fairtrade juices and using Red Tractor Certified suppliers.
