Justin Hawes is one of the founding members of the Event Greening, CEO of Scan Display and a Patron of the Sustainable Tourism Partnership Programme. Justin led the The South African Climate Change Response Expo (CCR Expo), which was hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs, and held alongside COP17. The CCR Expo received the UFI 2013 Sustainable Development Award for the Best innovative environmental initiative. The purpose of the event was to raise awareness, provide an educational platform and showcase South African innovations around climate change. The event obviously had to be a green event.

1. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be creativeA once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be creative
and promote sustainability in all elements of theand promote sustainability in all elements of the
eventevent
UFI 2013 Sustainable Development Award Winner:UFI 2013 Sustainable Development Award Winner:
Best innovative environmental initiativeBest innovative environmental initiative
A Case Study in SustainabilityA Case Study in Sustainability
- COP 17 CCR Expo- COP 17 CCR Expo

3. Scope: COP17Scope: COP17
• Event: The 17th Conference of
the Parties (COP17) to the United
Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC)
• Host City: Durban, South Africa
• Dates: 28 November – 09
December 2011
The South African Climate Change
Response Expo (CCR Expo) was
hosted by the Department of
Environmental Affairs, and held
alongside COP17.

4. Scope: CCR ExpoScope: CCR Expo
Held alongside COP17 – time & space.
Purpose:
• Raise awareness;
• Educate;
• Showcase South African innovations around climate
change.
Had to be a green event.
In our approach, we defined green as being responsible
across all three pillars of sustainability:
• Environmentally (Planet)
• Socially / community(People)
• Economically (Prosperity)

5. Scope: CCR ExpoScope: CCR Expo
20 000m² of tarred surface. No existing power, water or ablutions.
UN
precinct
CCR
Expo

8. Scope: CCR ExpoScope: CCR Expo
We need to provide:
• Exhibition halls -130 exhibitors;
• Conference and networking facilities - 700 pax in total;
• Fully functional media centre - radio and television
interview rooms;
• Entertainment facilities - stage & AV;
• Catering and ablutions for the event staff and over 15
000 visitors per day.

10. Green ApproachGreen Approach
‘‘Re-duce, Re-use and Re-cycle’Re-duce, Re-use and Re-cycle’
• Use local suppliers - reduce the indirect carbon
footprint.
• Opt for eco-friendly alternatives (reduce & recycle).
• Avoid waste by designing all elements for re-usability.
• Minimise water and energy usage.
• Communication key: encourage visitors and
participants to re-think how they use resources, do
business and live their lives.

11. ApproachApproach
1. Design
• Banana Leaf Canopy
• Floor graffiti
• Covered walkway
• Sound dampened meeting rooms
2. Eco-procurement
• Catering
• Cleaning services
• Plants
• Toilets
3. Manage waste, water & energy
4. Social Legacy
5. Communication

12. DesignDesign
Banana Leaf Canopy
• Majority of materials were unwanted, or ‘waste’:
• Gum Tree (Eucalyptus Saligna) poles from a paper
forest – too large to be pulped;
• Wild Banana leaves (Strelitzia Nicolai), prolific in this
region.
• Manufacture required a nominal amount of energy for
cutting, moving and assembly.
• Zero waste after the event - the wood and rope was re-
used to make jungle gyms, & the leaves composted.
• The jungle gym materials were given to children’s
charities – LIV Village Children’s Home, the Bluff
Environmental Society’s Eco Park & two schools.
• The structure was iconic - raised awareness around
sourcing alternative, sustainable materials.

15. DesignDesign
Floor graffiti
• Eco-friendly paint used to stencil patterns onto the tar –
to beautify the area.
• Paint washed away with rain, over time.
• White colour chosen to aid the reflection of heat off
the dark tar surface, and help reduce the temperature.

18. DesignDesign
Covered walkway
A covered walkway was required for the UN delegates to
pass through the expo space.
• Made from unpainted wooden beams, corrugated
sheet roofing with plants and wood chips scattered on
the roof to create shade.
• Guttering fed rainwater into ten rainwater tanks.
• All materials and rainwater tanks were re-used after the
event.

20. DesignDesign
Sound-dampened meeting rooms
• MagnaStruct board is made from readily available
minerals, produced through a low-energy process &
fully recyclable.
• The doors were left unpainted for easy re-use.
• LED lighting was built into the modules.
• These rooms have been re-used at numerous events
since COP17 – including the COP11 conference on
desertification in Namibia.
• There is no equivalent product to it in South Africa,
green or otherwise.

23. Eco-procurementEco-procurement
Suppliers
• 65% of the events budget went to 60 local suppliers,
who were often small businesses, while the remaining
35% went to 10 national suppliers.
• National suppliers were only used when there was no
satisfactory local equivalent – e.g., for the glass fronted
marquees.
• Where possible, eco-friendly options were chosen.

24. Eco-procurementEco-procurement
Catering
• The food served was sourced locally (minimal transport
required), and was derived from sustainable farming
methods.
• Minimal packaging was used to serve food – e.g. a
small piece of paper was used to wrap pies or rolls.
• A strong emphasis was placed on providing fresh,
healthy, raw & vegetarian options.

27. Eco-procurementEco-procurement
Cleaning services
• Ikhayelihle was contracted to provide the cleaning
services. The company is 100% women- and BEE- (Black
Economic Empowerment) owned. Of their 77 staff, 3
were permanent – the remaining were hired for this
event, and were unskilled. For many, this was the first
time they had employment.
• All Ikhayelihle staff received training for this event, not
only for hygiene and the services they would need to
provide, but also basic greening training.
• Since the event seven staff have received permanent
employment elsewhere, while a number are relief staff
for Ikhayelihle.

29. Eco-procurementEco-procurement
Indigenous plants
• 4716 indigenous plants (a mix of shrubs, grasses and
trees) were procured to beautify the CCR Expo.
• Six types of indigenous trees were used, and displayed
by the six exhibition halls which were named after
them.
• Educational - displays was intended to engender
respect for our natural resources.
• Post-event, all plants were donated to the local
municipality’s COP17 carbon offsetting project, and
used for a new community park - Maphephetheni
Children’s Park - in an impoverished suburb.
• This same project helped secure employment for one
caretaker position at the park.

33. Eco-procurementEco-procurement
Toilets
• It was a challenge to find eco-friendly temporary toilets
to handle the volumes of people expected at the CCR
Expo.
• We therefore used permanent toilets - retro-fitted old
shipping containers linked to a sewerage line (so no
heavy duty chemicals required).
• After the event, the five units (1 disabled; 2 female, 2
male – 26 loos in total) were donated to informal
settlements where they were permanently installed for
the residents.

35. Manage waste, water & energyManage waste, water & energy
Waste
• Requested suppliers & exhibitors use packaging
strategically, and opt for re-usable products.
• Encouraged that recyclable materials used, if not re-
usable, and provided a twin bin recycling system.
• A worm farm was on display – educational, as would
not be able to quickly dispose of all organic waste
generated.
• Minimal food waste was produced over the 12 days,
from careful monitoring of consumption.
• Excess un-eaten food (2638 kg) was donated to the
Food Bank, who then redistributed it to four charities for
consumption.

36. Manage waste, water & energyManage waste, water & energy
Waste
• Waste separation of recyclables to non-recyclables
achieved was 44.6% during the event.
• The re-use materials were unfortunately not all
weighed, but some figures were collected such as:
– 255kg excess exhibitor brochures donated to
underprivileged schools (educational resources).
– 200kg excess brochures donated to a community project
to make crafts and jewellery
– 130kg stand materials collected by Luda Heart Studios to
create artwork
(The low recycling volumes should be understood in light of the
successful diversion of many items from the waste stream. Re-use was
always prioritised over recycling.)
• All non-recyclables disposed of it at Bisasar Road
Landfill - an audited site with a successful waste-to-
energy scheme supplying electricity to the Durban
municipality grid.

39. Manage waste, water & energyManage waste, water & energy
Water
• Sale of bottled water was banned; filtered tap water
freely available.
– 17.24 kilolitres of tap water was drunk over the 12 days –
extrapolate this prevented roughly 34 480 plastic bottles of
water being consumed.
• Rain water harvesting with water tanks, so no piped
water was used for the plants.

41. Manage waste, water & energyManage waste, water & energy
Energy
• Durban municipality procured renewable energy for
the event.
• Glass fronted marquees reduced need for lighting.
• Used energy efficient lighting – Ignite Energy Saving’s T5
bulbs reduced energy use by 45%.
• Provided solar water heaters for the onsite kitchen
(sufficient for washing dishes & general cleaning).
• Photovoltaic cells used for the client’s outdoor pavilion.
• Back-up generators were supplied with biodiesel made
locally from used cooking oil (collected from
restaurants) – however we did not use them.

43. Social legacySocial legacy
Donations
Previously mentioned:
• The banana leaf canopy parts were donated to
children’s charities;
• The indigenous plants were donated to the COP17
carbon offset project;
• The container toilets were permanently installed at an
informal settlement.
• Left over brochures and stand elements were donated
to crafters and artists;

45. Social legacySocial legacy
Donations
Additional donations:
• Recycling bins went to ten disadvantaged schools who
had embarked on recycling projects.
• Benches and tables from the food court were donated
to Mother Of Peace, an orphanage.
• Worm farms and an organic food garden went to the
The Association For The Aged (TAFTA), to use at their
gardens.
• 85% of the events 7875 m² of rolled carpet was in good
enough condition to donate to four charities post
event.

46. Social legacySocial legacy
Investment in people
Social legacy:
• By contracting Ikhayelihle they were able to employ
and train 74 staff for the event, and some have gained
subsequent employment.
• Educational tours for eight government schools.
• Environmental students recruited to be chaperones.

48. AwarenessAwareness
• All exhibitors signed Responsible Exhibitor Charter.
• Exhibitor Briefings included event greening tips &
training.
• Green Stand Awards acknowledged exhibitors who
had demonstrated a clear commitment to greening.
• CCR Expo Greening stand shared information on all
greening done at the event.

52. Main challengesMain challenges
CHALLENGES MITIGATION
Short time frame High buy-in with Department of
Environmental Affairs
Flexible
Fast track the process
The venue – no infrastructure It is what it is
Throw money at it
Rain Throw more money at it!
Adapt or die
UN – fixed on delivery Nothing we could do
Green options – e.g. energy Rhino approach

53. Lessons LearntLessons Learnt
1. Only you (organiser) know what you were meant to
deliver
2. We can do it!
3. Be a Rhino at times
4. Be an Indian Myna at other times

54. Thank you!Thank you!