Planning can make events in our pleasant land even greener

Published on Saturday 17 May 2008 01:11

TOURISM is at the heart of the social, economic, cultural and environmental wellbeing of Scotland, employing as it does 200,000 people and generating visitor spending of more than £4 billion a year.

Event tourism is a key part of this industry – 40 per cent of people visiting the UK attend an event or festival on their trip. In 2004, the Edinburgh festivals produced a healthy output of 184 million, and the 2005 Open golf championship was worth 72 million to Scotland.

EventScotland, the national events agency, is helping the country further capitalise on this growing trend – it has secured 165 international cultural and sporting events for Scotland since 2003.

Accordingly, the eco-footprint of event tourism is rising. Each passenger on a return flight from the east coast of the US is responsible for emitting 1.3 tonnes of – enough to fill a hot air balloon. Energy used by buildings in the UK hospitality sector creates more than 12 million tonnes of per year – enough to fill Murrayfield Stadium 9,400 times. And an event's impact also includes food and drink, hotel nights, brochures, giveaways and so on. All this comes against the backdrop of a government target to cut emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.

So how do we solve this apparent conflict?

There is a lot to learn from a few notable examples among Scottish event organisers – and, encouragingly, there is a mood of change in the industry.

T in the Park cites audience pressure and a genuine concern for the planet as the main reasons for changing its habits. A growing proportion of its annual audience of 80,000 use public transport to get to the festival's site, near Balado, in Kinross-shire. Cup, can and battery recycling points also reduce the amount of waste to be cleared up – campers are even encouraged to hand in unwanted tents.

Carbon emissions from energy used on site and in transport of performers and audiences are offset through the support of community projects in developing countries, to make the whole event carbon-neutral. In recognition of these efforts, T in the Park received the Green 'n' Clean Award from Yourope, the European Festival Association.

But what about permanent venues? At the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, the Plan-it green scheme ensures that staff work closely with event organisers to source local food, choose recycled products, encourage use of public transport and make contributions to local tree planting to balance delegates' travel emissions.

More radically, the ExCel venue in London's East End has invested in a combined heat and power plant, halving gas use and thus cutting costs. All ExCel's food waste goes to the 300,000 inhabitants of its wormery. This process not only recycles organic waste and avoids landfill; it also produces a valuable fertiliser, which is sold to garden centres.

There is nothing to stop even the smallest event from reducing its eco-footprint, saving money and helping the planet.

Planning for a green event, such as a party or wedding, will include thinking about using more efficient and renewable energy sources; local sourcing of food; using public transport for travel where possible; use of biodegradable packaging; and of course recycling.

Carbon offset, in the context of wider carbon reduction, is an extremely powerful way of supporting local schemes and engaging audiences with the issues.

In Scotland, a new carbon balancing scheme called Climate Change Scotland has recently been launched by the tourism industry. A not-for profit enterprise, it will calculate a business's carbon footprint, then for a fee of 10 per tonne will offset the emissions via investment in sustainable environmental projects located in Scotland.

The effects will be widespread: public transport networks are used more and traffic congestion eased, local food and drink consumed and pressure on landfill sites reduced. Visitors are left with a sense of positive optimism about the country and are more likely to return.

Organisers who embrace green event tourism will benefit from cost savings and a positive profile and ensure a sustainable long-term future for their industry. It is fitting that green and beautiful Scotland, with its vast renewable energy potential, should be a world leader on green event tourism.

&#149 Charles Henderson is the director of Climate Futures, an environmental consultancy.