Our vision for Rethink Impact includes a strong awareness of the need to increase the sustainability of big conferences. Our aim is to act for sustainability together with partners in the city and the university when it comes to hosting a large event such as ECC 2022.
In 2019 a strategic partnership was formed between VisitAarhus, Aarhus University, Aarhus Events and Worldperfect – in great collaboration with the Climate Department of the City of Aarhus and local businesses from the tourism sector in Aarhus. One of the outcomes was the "Green Conference and Event Handbook" (in Danish), which outlines principles for sustainable conferences - ranging from transport to food supply and waste reduction. Among many initiatives at Aarhus University is a green transition to more healthy and sustainable food options for meetings and conferences provided by the canteens and external suppliers.
Our aims are reflected in several measures to reduce our carbon footprint and develop innovations for conference management, catering and long-term legacy. For ECC 2022, the local organising committee is working on these concrete measures to increase sustainability on different levels and reduce waste wherever possible:
Hosting a sustainable event in Aarhus is part of the city’s DNA. 73% of all hotels in the city center hold an official eco-certification. The city’s convention venues are also certified. When you are in the city, everything is within easy walking distance, and there are share bike options, buses and electric lightrail to take you around. Among the municipality, university, convention bureau and local suppliers, sustainability is increasingly on the agenda - contributing to rethinking the ways meetings are organised and conducted - a process that is constantly evolving.
