The World Economic Forum is committed to limiting its environmental footprint. To support this mission, the Forum of Young Global Leaders organized the YGL and Alumni Annual Summit 2018 as a carbon neutral event, making it the most environmentally sustainable event in the YGL Community's history, and it will serve as a model for future events, within the community and the World Economic Forum.
Carbon Neutral - What does that mean?
In order to reduce the carbon footprint, we actively integrated environmental criteria and action every step of the way, including in strategic planning of the programme design and event logistics. The efforts entailed providing incentives for low-emissions transportation, sourcing lower-impact materials for decorations, sourcing food and beverage from vendors committed to sustainability and choosing the best-in-class hotels, minimizing waste and especially non-recycle waste, among other methods. In addition, the Forum of Young Global Leaders implemented a carbon neutrality plan, which included
- Measuring and calculating the carbon footprint of the summit with the support of YGL-led consulting firm Three Squares and Founder Jaime Nack.
- Carbon credits will be purchased from Schwab Foundation social enterprise, South Pole.
It is our responsibility to leave a positive legacy for future events in San Francisco and the YGL community, and to lead as an example for other events.
Results at-a-Glance
1st event of the World Economic Forum to go carbon neutral.
85% summit waste diverted from the landfill.
52% of waste were recycled and 33% were composted.
50% of meals provided by the Forum of Young Global Leaders were vegetarian
0 % red meat was served
All unused food were redistributed through the organization Replate.
100 % of cutlery, cups and food containers were compostable
0 plastic bottles were served.
100 % of vendor, suppliers and catering companies pledged to follow the outlined sustainability
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Participant experience
79% of participants said the focus on sustainability enhanced their event experience
74% said the summit helped them think differently about sustainability
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The total carbon footprint
The total carbon footprint of the event was 1,144.3 Metric tons (t) of CO2e. and carbon credit was purchased and dedicated to the Blandin Forest Conservation, USA.
Read the full Sustainability Report, developed by Three Squares and Founder Jaime Nack.
Our Sustainability Efforts
It's was a #GreenEvent ✔️
Summit Materials
- To limit paper, all reading materials was found on the World Economic Forum’s Event App TopLink. If printing was required, all printed materials used 100% recycled paper.
- The notebooks provided by Future Tech Lab was custom-made from crushed stone bound with non-toxic resin; using 0 trees, 0 water, 0 bleach and 0 toxic chemicals. They are waterproof, tear-resistant and more environmentally responsible.
- T-shirts given to participants were manufactured using BCI Cotton, a holistic approach to more sustainable cotton production. Licensed BCI Farmers produce cotton in a way that cares for the environment, minimizing the negative effects of fertilizers and pesticides, and caring for water, soil health and natural habitats.
- YGL-led company TerraCycle recycled the participant badges after the summit.
Food and Beverages
- All meals provided by the Forum of Young Global Leaders promoted 50% vegetarian menus to reduce meat consumption. 0 % Red meat was served. External dinner hosts were also encouraged to support and follow our sustainability guidelines.
- All cutlery, cups and food containers were compostable. No plastic bottles were offered. Water fountains were provided at all venues, along with local water and beverages, and with freshly made drinks.
- All venues, suppliers and catering companies were informed of the importance of reducing food waste. All unused food were redistributed through the organization Replate.
- Meals featured a range of local and sustainable and organic food products; Fairtade chocolate and coffee, MSC-certified fish were provided and no GMO products.
Green Venue and Infrastructure
- The official hotel committed to sustainability and had a strong programme to conserve water and energy and to enhance recycling. It was also fully accessible and had good connections to public transport.
- At the venues, a comprehensive waste diversion system was set-up and featured bins designated for the collection of recyclables and waste, with the objective to recycle 50 –70% of all waste and to send less than 5% percent of total waste to landfills.
- The venues' layout and decoration materials were sourced responsibly and are rented or reused as much as possible. The few remaining disposable items are made of recyclable materials and will be recycled after the summit.
We had help from the participants to make it happen!
Here are some of the ways participants were encouraged to help us reduce our footprint:
1. Travel Smart
Travel to and from San Francisco will make up around 90%of the summit’s footprint. Help us measure and offset your travel by completing the pre-event survey sent to you after registering. Choose an eco-friendly airline and use public or shared transportation to and from the airport.
2. Think Before You Throw
You'll never have to go too far to responsibly dispose of your waste. Recycling and composting bins are located in every corner of the venue. Take a moment to consider what goes where:
Compost Liquid | Food | Wet Paper | Compostable Flatware|
Recycling Plastic | Aluminium Cans | Paper | Glass Bottles | Cardboard
Landfill Chip Bags | Plastic Wrappers | Styrofoam | Straws
We want to ensure that less than 5 per cent of all waste is sent to land fields and we aim to recycle 50 – 70% of all waste. Help us make it happen!
3. Say no to Plastic
By 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish. Bring a reusable bottle and say ‘no’ to disposable plastic water bottles and other single-use plastic packaging. For your convenience, water stations are available throughout the venue.
4. Cut Down on Paper Use with the Mobile App
We are taking advantage of technology in order to distribute as little paper as possible. TopLink is your best friend!
5. Go Green in Your Hotel Room
- Hang up your towels! Take advantage of any towel and sheet reuse initiatives that may be offered by your hotel. You don’t wash your towels every day at home, so why do it when you travel?
- You can also leave the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door of your hotel room for the duration of the summit to cut down on chemical cleaning agents, electricity used on vacuuming and the washing of bed linens.
- Don’t forget to turn off all lights and electronics when you leave your room each day.
- If you want to go the extra mile, turn off the air conditioning in your room during the summit.
- Take leftover soap, shampoo or toothpaste with you. Unused products are thrown away. You can reuse the plastic bottles in the future.
5. Hit the Pavement
San Francisco is a very walkable city. Our official event hotel was purposely chosen for its proximity to the main venue, the City View at Metreon. Hotel Nikko, is a 10-minute walk to the venue and there are lots of interesting sights along the way.
Take the opportunity to get to know San Francisco and whenever possible, get around by walking, biking or public transport. We have also organized buses for you for our various insight expeditions around the city.
7. Share How You Walk the Talk
Use #YGLSummit and #StepUpClimateAction to tell us what you are doing to be more sustainable. We can't wait to hear from you!
Team Effort
Lastly, we want to give a special thank you to our partners who have supported us in making this happen. Thank you!
- Jaime Nack and The Three Squares Inc
- Aroon Hirdaramini and Hirdaramini Group
- Miroslava Duma and Future Tech Lab
- Terra Cycle
- South Pole
- Replate
- Global Gourmet
- Our summit co-hosts Marc Benioff & Salesforce, Marissa Mayer & Zachary Bogue
- Dinner hosts: Mozilla, Cloudflare, Microsoft, Uber, Jacob Hsu, Donald Tang, Brian Wong, Mayfield
- And the YGL Community for cheering us on along the way and helping us through their environmental choices during the event.
Credits:
Gemaakt met een afbeelding van Ragnar Vorel - "untitled image"