Resonsible Tourism Dialogue 2014 - Justin Hawes - Case study cop17 ccr expo

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be creative and promote sustainability in all creative and promote sustainability in all

elements of the eventelements of the event

UFI 2013 Sustainable Development Award UFI 2013 Sustainable Development Award Winner:Winner:

Best innovative environmental initiativeBest innovative environmental initiative

A Case Study in Sustainability A Case Study in Sustainability - COP 17 CCR Expo- COP 17 CCR Expo

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.

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)


20 000m² of tarred surface. No existing power, water or ablutions.

UN precinct

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.

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.

ApproachApproach

1. Design• Banana Leaf Canopy• Floor graffiti• Covered walkway• Sound dampened meeting rooms2. Eco-procurement• Catering• Cleaning services• Plants• Toilets3. Manage waste, water & energy4. Social Legacy5. Communication

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.

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.

DesignDesign

Covered walkwayA 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.

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.

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.


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.


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.


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.


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.

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.


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.


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.


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.

Social legacySocial legacy

DonationsPreviously 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;


DonationsAdditional 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.


Investment in peopleSocial 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.

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.

Main challengesMain challenges

CHALLENGES MITIGATIONShort time frame High buy-in with Department of

Environmental AffairsFlexibleFast track the process

The venue – no infrastructure It is what it isThrow 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

Lessons LearntLessons Learnt

1. Only you (organiser) know what you were meant to deliver

2. We can do it!3. Be a Rhino at times4. Be an Indian Myna at other times

Thank you!Thank you!

Resonsible Tourism Dialogue 2014 - Justin Hawes - Case study cop17 ccr expo

Leadership & Management

Transcript of Resonsible Tourism Dialogue 2014 - Justin Hawes - Case study cop17 ccr expo