Greening the EURETINA Congress
As the EURETINA Congress returns as a live, face-to-face event, the importance of reducing waste and limiting the environmental impact of such a major event has not been forgotten in the post-COVID era.
The EURETINA Board is committed to placing environmental sustainability at the very heart of its operations, with a wide range of measures being implemented at the 22nd EURETINA Congress in Hamburg to limit the footprint of the Society’s annual flagship event.
“While we have all benefited from online learning over the past few years, I firmly believe that live face-to-face meetings offer so much more to those who can attend,” said Alistair Laidlaw, President of EURETINA. “With that said, we are making every effort to ensure that our Congress meets sustainability development goals. We have engaged the expertise of environmental sustainability consultants to direct and measure the carbon output of our congress so that we can enjoy a return to a live environment as responsibly as possible,” he said.
With this in mind, delegates will notice some key differences at this year’s Congress, including the absence of printed EURETINA programmes and flyers, complimentary delegate bags containing industry flyers, pens and gadgets, and plastic bottles. Other measures taken include meat-free days for industry lunches and reduced printed signage.
“We encourage delegates and industry colleagues to help us with this initiative during the days of the Congress. We can all play our part in reducing the footprint of the event and helping us to reach our sustainability goals,” added Dr Laidlaw.
Delegates are encouraged to contribute by bringing their own reusable bottle (there will be plenty of refilling points), as well as their own bag, pen and paper and anything else they might need during the course of the day. Other positive measures that can be taken include using public transport, downloading the Congress App, photographing business cards or flyers instead of taking a copy, and availing of the opportunity to arrange as many meetings as possible with international colleagues, thus reducing the need to take additional flights in the future.
Going forward, the EURETINA Board is keen to receive new ideas or suggestions to build on the sustainability development goals for future events.
Please feel free to send your ideas at sustainability@euretina.net.
For further information on our sustainability partners please visit Isla https://weareisla.co.uk/.
