The organisers of the inaugural World Engineers Summit 2013 with the theme “Innovative and sustainable solutions to climate change” are calling for papers but not just from engineers. They want people with passion and expertise to “Play your part, share your ideas and promote your work”. The event at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from 9-15 September will also be managed sustainably in keeping with its theme. Ken Hickson of Sustain Ability Showcase Asia (SASA) has this to say about making events sustainable, in line with the new Olympic gold standard ISO 20121, in the latest issue of CEI Asia. Read More

Promote your work.

If you believe that climate change is one of the most critical challenges facing humanity today and recognize the urgency to identify, develop and implement innovative and sustainable solutions to mitigate a spreading carbon footprint and ensuring the efficient consumption of Earth’s fast depleting resources, WES 2013 is your ideal activation platform!

The WES 2013 Organising Committee is inviting the submission of technical papers in the following areas:

• Corporate Social Responsibility on Climate Change

• Climate Change Opportunities for SMEs

• Environmental Engineering Education

• Environmental Policies

• Food and Water Security

• Financing Climate Change Adaptation

• Innovative and Sustainable Technology

• Integrated Environmental Management Systems

• Natural Disaster Mitigation and Management

• Professional Ethics and Conduct:

Key Prerequisites for Sustainability

• Sustainable Development

• Sustainable Energy

• Sustainable and Innovative Urban Planning

• Women in Engineering on Climate Change

Engage engineers across multi-disciplines, as well as:

• Business leaders of corporations

• Research funding organisations

• G• Scientists

• Researchers

• Technology investors

and developers government officials

Among other international audience to collaborate for further research and potential funding opportunities.

All submissions will be evaluated by the Abstract Review Committee comprising of experts from various fields, who will evaluate and screen the abstracts, and make recommendations for inclusion in the Summit programme.

The authors of the accepted abstracts will then be invited to submit full papers for presentation at the Summit. The deadline for abstract submission is 31 January 2013.

More information on the sessions and the submission process can be found at http://globalsignin.com.sg/registration/wes2013_abstract/

Source: www.wes2013.org

 

 

Let’s take sustainability seriously for events in Asia:

The time for 20121 is now

By Ken Hickson

Sustain Ability Showcase Asia – SASA

It’s not rocket science to create and manage events in a sustainable fashion, but now there is a scientifically devised and certifiable standard to help the events industry do things better, cleaner and greener.

“Twenty Twelve One” – or alpha-numerically  ISO 20121 – is the new standard which is taking the event world by storm. It first saw the light of day with the London Olympics – the first major event to introduce and earn the certification. The process itself evolved out of BS8901 and now a number of venues and events have gained the Olympic gold standard.

Less is not more in Asia. So far only Thailand has officially submitted itself to the certification standard. Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau announced in July it is collaborating with SGS to introduce ISO 20121 to the MICE players. The new standards aim to elevate Thailand’s MICE industry to meet world standards.

Australia has embarked on the ISO 20121 process with a practiced hand. There is the experience offered through the Sustainable Events Alliance – www.sustainable-event-alliance.org/australia/ – and one of its founding members, Green Shoots Pacific has worked on the implementation of ISO 20121 for its client, Sydney Festival.

In Europe there are plenty of examples of venues and events which quickly latched onto the scheme, understandably maybe as this evolved from the accepted British standard, BS8901.

The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff – venue for Rugby World Cup matches – was one of the early adopters, as was Dublin’s Croke Park, achieving ISO 20121 certification after an audit by SGS Ireland in May 2012, describing the award as “the Event Sustainability Management System International Standard”.

In June 2012 Coca-Cola Great Britain achieved ISO 20121 with SGS United Kingdom Ltd, ready for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The company’s certification covered all its London 2012 operations, including the Olympic Torch Relay, Venue Operations,  Showcasing, Hospitality and Licensed  Merchandising activities.

Closer to home, Singapore is having a serious look into the best way to introduce and manage standards for sustainability in the event industry. There are some big events in Singapore – conferences, exhibitions, festivals – as well as major venues like Marina Bay Sands, which should embark on the sustainability journey and subject themselves to the verifiable event standard.

It might be a sensitive issue, but there is no reason why the Formula One motor racing event, which Singapore has committed to for another five years, should not go through the ISO 20121 process.

No event is perfect, as the event industry has to acknowledge. In fact, staging an event of any sort in “inherently un-sustainable”, as pointed out by Phil Cumming and Fiona Pelham, authors of “Making Events More Sustainable: A Guide to BS 8901”.

We can see where some of the global events Singapore has scheduled in the year ahead are “ripe for sustainability”. We have already suggested this for the big first time World Engineers Summit, which takes place at Marina Bay Sands in September 2013, and not just because its theme is, “Innovative and Sustainable Solutions to Climate Change”!

By adopting a sustainability programme or approach means the organisers can reduce an event’s impact on the environment, for example, if they take into account the factors and opportunities (see the ten tips highlighted by the London Olympic sustainability team).

It can work just as well for a major conference or exhibition as it can for a smaller MICE event or event.

Getting the right advice and support, means any member of the MICE industry can seriously take sustainability on board. It is the future and it is the way the world of events is moving.

While there might be a cost to embark on this process, it is one that will pay off as showing leadership in sustainability is as important as showing you are professional and creative in the way you approach events.

And an important point to remember – as many major international companies have recently discovered – sustainability can produce some direct benefits to the bottom line. Reduced energy use, cutting back on paper and waste, introducing recycling programmes, can all directly give you cost savings for your events and your business.

So making events sustainable makes sense – very good business sense – and in the process it’s good for the planet, people, as well profit!

Just what does the new event standard really require? The London Olympics sustainability committee put it simply as a 10 point process of questioning and application, which in turn become ten tips for any event organiser, venue, country or company to apply:

Top ten tips for events

1.         Access: Ensure communication methods and physical access facilities mean everyone is welcome.

2.         Local area: Look after your local community. Try to reduce congestion, litter and noise.

3.         Energy and water: Think of inventive ways to reduce your energy and water usage.

4.         Transport: Walking, cycling and public transport are healthy and more environmentally friendly ways to travel to an event.

5.         Reduce and reuse: Think about what you really need – buy only what is needed and hire/reuse everything else.

6.         Responsible sourcing: Try to support local businesses and socially responsible organisations.

7.         Food and beverage: Try to showcase local, seasonal and Fairtrade produce and provide free drinking water.

8.         Keepsakes: Ensure giveaways add to the customer experience, are useful, reusable and/or recyclable.

9.         Make it easy to recycle: Try to provide recyclable packaging and provide recycling and general waste bins.

10.        Health, safety and security: A safe environment is a happy environment. Assessing the risks in advance can help ensure everyone can enjoy the event.

Source: www.sustain-ability-showcase.com and www.cei.asia