2. How Helsinki Metropolitan area is developing
environmental management of events?
Salla Koivusalo, Project Coordinator
Elina Levula, Project Planner
Greening Events -project
3. Greening Events -project
• EU-project (2012-2014) developing environmental
management in event industry in Helsinki
Metropolitan area.
• Creating Cities’s environmental criteria for events
• Training and consulting event professionals
• Building EcoCompass Event –management system
for pilot events and event sites
• Developing network within event industry and cities
• Raising awareness via campaigns
• Making it easy for audience to make sustainable
choices
5. How city can guide events
towards sustainability?
• Coordination of city owned event venues
– to ensure silent periods for residence around the venues
– to find proper venue for each event
– to spread urban culture (concerts, sports, participatory
events) in different parts of city
• Including common environmental criteria in venue contracts
• Organising helpful guidance and voluntary management system
for event organisers
– -> EcoCompass Event Environmental Management System
• Offering easy to use tools to apply permits
– -> internet-based applying process, identification with banking internet codes
6. Working group for environmental
criteria for events in Helsinki
Metropolitan Cities
• Clear work plan and limited working period (year 2013)
• All site and venue administrators from the cities are
invited. As well as all city departments who organise
events (youth & culture & event –departments)
• Possibility to contribute and comment during the whole
working period
• Event organisers and their partners and subcontractors
are invited to collaborate
• Aim is to create practical and feasible criteria
7. The working plan of the environmental
criteria working group 1/2
• Key questions are:
– What are the essential problems?
– What can be required from the event organiser?
– What supporting services city should offer?
– What needs to be developed in the city
organisation to ensure environmental services or
guidance for events?
– How permits and the criteria for venue contract
can be controlled?
8. The working plan of the environmental
criteria working group 1/2
• March: waste management and litter prevention
• April: hygiene, water, and catering (FairTrade, organic, locally
produced food)
• May: city’s event-related grants, venue and site contract terms
(consulted by lawyers), social media events
• August: event noise and procurement
• September: electricity -> energy-efficiency & renewable
energy, traffic, natural values
• October: approval and implementation of the criteria ->
information, guidance service and supervision
• November: commenting round for city departments
• December: closing meeting
10. EcoCompass Event
• Less formal environmental management system
– Originally developed for SMEs
• Developed and coordinated by City of Helsinki
Environment Centre
• Building the system is supported by
EcoCompass councelor
• Works for variety of event types: festivals, sport
events, concerts,
11. The building process
1. Meeting
Project plan and Environmental review
2. Meeting
Environmental Impact Assesment,
Environmental policy/statement and
Environmental program
3. Meeting
Final Environmental program and Indicators
Auditing and tracking report
12. Documents
Building phase
• Environmental review
– Appendixes: law list
• Environmental impact assesment
• Environmental program
– Appendixes: waste management plan (including
list of hazard waste), chemical list, visitors’ travel
plan
Post event
• Tracking report
Annually
• Updated environmental program and tracking report
13. 10 Criteria (1/3)
1. The event is produced accordingly to the law and
permissions
2. The event has an employee who is in charge of
environmental issues
3. Environmental review of the event has been
completed
4. The event has an environmental policy which is a
base for the improvement
14. 10 Criteria (2/3)
5. Key persons of production team have attended
EcoCompass-training or similar
6. The event has a waste management plan. Waste
needs to be sorted&recycled according to the local
regulations.
7. The event holds a record of their hazard waste and
organizes safe treatment for them
8. The event holds a records of chemicals they use and
stores them safely
15. 10 Criteria (3/3)
9. The event has an annually updated environmental
program, which includes actions in the following
environmental aspects:
a) Minimizing waste
b) Energy effiency and using green energy
c) Favoring sustainable material purchases
d) Considering environmental issues when purchasing services
e) Improving material efficiency
f) Increasing environmental awareness
g) Improving logistics and minimizing impacts of visitors’ travel
10. The event annually reports to the EcoCompass
organisation
16. Auditing
• Performed by third party
• Prior and/or during event
• Includes:
– Review of the documents
– Interviews
– Observation
• Duration: 4-8 hours
• Auditing report
17. A look at the pilot events
• Bruce Springsteen - Stadium • Aprill Jazz – Music festival
arena & Live Nation concert • World village festival
• Flow Festival – Indie city festival • Tall Ship Races – Massive open
• Lasipalatsi Media Centre and event
Teurastamo – Event sites • World health organization –
• Reaktori – Winter event for youth conference
• Aalto University’s Masters of Art - • WKND festival – dance festival
exhibition • Few running competitions