Pavegen, a UK-based tech company renowned for its kinetic energy-generating floor tiles, turned dance moves into electricity, engaging the audience in the sold-out UEFA Champions Festival Friday Night Show in Trafalgar Square on May 31.

The event, held in collaboration with the Champions Innovate Programme and Rockstar Energy Drink, marked the first time a music performance in Trafalgar Square was powered by the kinetic energy of the audience.

The highlight of the festival, the Friday Night Show, headlined by BRIT Award-winning band Rudimental, blended the excitement of football and music, drawing a diverse crowd. Over 6,300 attendees danced on Pavegen’s kinetic tiles, generating energy that powered Rudimental’s DJ booth and microphone during their electrifying set.

Festival-goer Daniel, a Londoner, said, “I really like this dance floor, it’s great, it feels so responsive - it’s cool that it’s the first time ever something like this has been done in Trafalgar Square!” Amir from Surrey added, “It’s amazing how the floor is making electricity for the show. It makes me want to dance more!”

“Our participation in the UEFA Champions Festival has been a phenomenal success,” said Laurence Kemball-Cook, CEO of Pavegen. “It's so simple, you just need to dance to generate power on our technology. Feeling the energy and enthusiasm from the crowd and seeing Pavegen in action, powering such an iconic event, was truly inspiring. We’re proud to partner with UEFA and Rockstar Energy to demonstrate how innovative solutions can drive sustainability and community engagement.”

Bart LaCount, Vice President of International Beverages Marketing at PepsiCo, highlighted the collaborative effort. “The collaboration between Rockstar Energy Drink and Pavegen allowed us to take energy to another level,” he said. “Fans danced the night away while also contributing to power the event – thanks to the kinetic dance floor.”

Looking ahead, Pavegen plans to continue its partnership with Rockstar Energy Drink, repurposing the kinetic energy dance floor for future events to sustainably fuel a summer of music experiences.

The UEFA Champions Festival welcomed attendees from over 100 countries.

On November 15-16, Host City 2022 Conference and Exhibition takes place in Glasgow, Scotland with the theme of Face to Face with New Realities. Host City gives world leaders in the events industry an opportunity to educate each other on the innovative technology and solutions that contribute towards a positive long-term impact. As the headline sponsor of Host City 2022, Aggreko is looking forward to sharing their thoughts via their guest speaker David De Behr, Host City advisory board member and Head of Sales Major Events at Aggreko.

2022 was certainly an influential year for Aggreko, with an unrivalled record of accomplishments throughout regional and global events such as The Invictus Games and SailGP to name a few. Whether it be the debut of ground-breaking sustainable technologies or reliable on-time temporary power solutions at some of this year’s biggest events, Aggreko’s teams were hard at work to deliver their renowned specialism in all event operations. De Behr leads the Sales team within Aggreko Event Services, providing power and temperature control solutions to a wide range of events customers.

“There has been visible change in recent years within the sports and entertainment events industry, with technology evolving so fast that it now has a drive to be energy efficient on its own,” De Behr said. “How can we make it a better world and really kick-start sustainable actions?”

Aggreko has been exploring new ways of delivering temporary energy solutions whilst reducing emissions, whether it be through new technological innovations, a range of more sustainable temporary energy equipment or designing energy solutions to be as efficient as possible. “Through the use of new types of equipment that are driven by technology on events, we have now seen a drop in energy demand and the importance shift to the accuracy of energy supply and efficiency.”

At the 2022 Great Britain Sail Grand Prix this July in Plymouth, UK, Aggreko’s challenge was to provide reliable and renewable temporary power solutions across the race weekend that suited the surrounding environment. Aggreko premiered bio-methanol fuel as an energy source for the first time at a live event in the UK, resulting in up to 97% less CO₂ emissions compared with diesel.

Aggreko have utilised multiple emission-reducing technologies in 2022 including HVO fuel, hydrogen, battery units and solar power.

“The more battery units and solar panels that you can utilise the better; however, there will always be other constraints that need addressing such as limitation of space, reliability and need for critical power.”

Even though the technology is there, Aggreko use their specialism to select specific power solutions for each event that will adapt to the local environment.

So what are the main challenges of providing sustainable solutions? “New technology costs more money,” De Behr explained. “Unfortunately for now, sustainable solutions will be more expensive than traditional energy solutions and it is going to stay like that for a while. You see this all over the world, everything that is new is more expensive, but the more its produced and the easier it is to access the more the cost is reduced. For the moment our Stage V generators, solar technology, battery units and hydrogen sets are more expensive than traditional energy solutions, so it is a challenge.”

Aggreko have used their years of experience to form a specialist strategy that combines reliable energy supplies with new emission reducing technology. “The first thing we always do is to try to maximise the use of local grid if coming from a renewable source. For a customer, this is the most cost-effective and energy efficient.”

At each event, Aggreko conducts a metric design phase that assess where solar panels, HVO fuel, Stage V generators and battery units can be paired with energy from the grid. Creating a ‘mini sustainable grid’ is the best way to ensure a reduction in carbon emissions without reducing the reliability of energy supply.

“People need to look at their energy consumption in a more focused way. I think we have all grown up and been guilty of putting the thermostat on 21 degrees all year round. On a microscale this is what we have been trying to do with our customers – to look in detail at what they actually need and how we can change the supply chain.”

So what role do hydrogen and battery units play in the future? “I had hoped hydrogen solutions would come around much faster; I have seen it work and it can be fantastic! The technology is ready, but the problem lies with the supply chain. We need to get the car market to jump on hydrogen, which is then going to create demand, sparking investment from the big energy companies around the world.”

Switched on to the future

“The aim is to make people more focused around energy in general, and that will have the greatest impact on sustainability,” said De Behr.

“We have a whole new generation which cares. I really believe in the next five years that people will choose the events they attend based on how sustainable they are.

“Whether it’s a wedding or a private event, a fashion show or a music concert, it will become a must that when we make an offer, we should be able to state exactly how many emissions that event is going to produce.”

Aggreko’s goals for the future are to “keep maximising the ‘green’ grid for the client when it makes economic sense by using our specialist engineering. I think that’s the only way because slowly more of the grid will come from sustainable sources and it’s the fastest way for the customer.”

Batteries, however, are one of the most effective renewable energy solutions being integrated by Aggreko because “any energy wasted can be put back into batteries, or if you have too much energy capacity you can store it within the battery and run from there. In the near future I believe it will be common for domestic houses to have a battery pack; when you have too much energy, you can store it for when you do not have enough sun for your solar panels.”

Aggreko are switched on when it comes to innovating their services and will continue to invest in the assurance of their safety, reliability and sustainability meeting the highest standard at every event. “The company has always been switched on with choosing a direction and as demand grows, we will keep looking for ways to increase temporary energy reliability and discover technologies that leave a positive long-term impact on our planet.”

(Source: Aggreko) The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games aims to make these the most sustainable Games yet. It is working closely with its partners, suppliers, and wider stakeholder to reduce its carbon footprint wherever possible.

Central to this is the way the event is powered and as energy is a key part of the Games’ carbon footprint, focus has been given to driving emissions down.

The Games are taking a ‘mains first’ approach, using the existing infrastructure from venues reducing reliance on additional generators, and where temporary energy is needed, working closely with Aggreko to drive emissions down.

As the Official Modular Energy Solutions Supporter for Birmingham 2022, Aggreko is responsible for planning the temporary energy framework for all 15 of the Games’ venues. These include large-scale venues such as Alexander Stadium and Coventry Stadium & Arena, to greenfield sites of regional parks like Warwick and Sutton. They are also powering additional requirements in sites key to the Games, including the Birmingham 2022 Villages in Birmingham and Warwick and the remote vehicle security site.

The fleet includes 117 of Aggreko’s latest Stage V generators from 30kVA up to 600kVa running on hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) – a more sustainable fuel source. Stage V engines provide greater efficiency than traditional generators as well as reducing NOx emissions, CO₂ emissions, and other harmful particulates. The acoustically designed equipment also results in a reduction of noise, considering the local surroundings of the venues.

The generators will be operating in Load on Demand configuration, meaning they will replace a large, constantly operating generator with a group of smaller generators that can power up or down automatically according to demand onsite.

To support the generator set-up, Aggreko will be supplying several batteries at 300 kVA.  A specialist Y-Cube energy storage battery will be used in the fleet depot centre at the University of Birmingham to power the Games’ electric vehicles.

The generators and batteries will be used in tandem to aid carbon and fuel savings and at Victoria Park solar power will also be garnered in conjunction with the hybrid generators.

Primary generation and distribution equipment will take advantage of Aggreko’s remote monitoring centre which will continually analyse performance to ensure equipment is always running at peak efficiency.

James Eade, Head of Energy for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, says: “As a client we have been receptive and encouraged Aggreko to avail of innovation in power generation and to rethink established paradigms in this area. Collectively we have worked hard to ensure that nearly all the venues display some element of new technology or techniques.”

Robert Wells, Managing Director of Event Solutions at Aggreko, says: “While Aggreko is well-versed in the planning of temporary power for large-scale global events, we always strive to improve on every project we take on. As such, the entire business is whole-heartedly committed to its responsibility as Modular Energy Solutions Supporter, and its impact on the environment in 2022 and beyond.

“The sustainability conversation has of course been ongoing for some time, but now our latest Greener Upgrades programme enables us to easily advise customers on the small changes they can make to reduce harmful emissions and the use of fuel. For the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games this means it can work to its goal of leaving a carbon neutral legacy, which we are incredibly proud to support.”

To hear David de Behr, Head of Sales Aggreko Event Services speak on the panel Can innovations in physical technology balance sustainability with cost? at Host City Americas on 29th June, REGISTER HERE for FREE: https://www.hostcity.com/events/host-city-americas/register

[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko has further confirmed its commitment to reaching net zero emissions by beginning the transition from diesel to greener fuel sources in its fuel management services.

The organisation’s ongoing phaseout is part of its pledge to cut the amount of the fossil fuel used by the organisation by 50% before 2030 and reduce local air quality emissions from its fleet by a similar figure. Specifically, Aggreko intends to phase out offering diesel with its fuel management services from April, instead solely providing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO).

The move is part of the global temporary equipment supplier’s ‘Greener Upgrades’ initiative, which also includes a multi-million-pound investment in new products and technologies, alongside alternative fuels.

Speaking on the switch, Chris Rason, Managing Director Aggreko Northern Europe, said: “The need to be sustainable has long shifted from a vague preference to an absolute priority for all businesses, and this sentiment continues to be reinforced through action.

“For example, at COP26, proposals have been floated to force UK firms how they will reach net zero targets set for 2050. However, despite this shift to a ‘prove it’ culture when it comes to decarbonisation, complacency and greenwashing sadly still remains at a time when organisations need to begin taking steps toward a greener future.

“It is for this reason why we have put great effort into developing efficient and sustainable technologies that can replace existing, polluting energy sources without disruption. This continued investment has allowed us to begin the transition from diesel to HVO for our fuel management systems, passing decarbonisation gains onto our customers while maintaining or improving equipment performance.”

Aggreko has previously trialled HVO as a ‘drop-in’ fuel in controlled conditions using its own generator fleet – a rarity in testing conditions – and demonstrated significant emissions benefits. Further scientific studies have also shown the fuel produces up to 90% less greenhouse emissions, including 33% lower levels of fine particulates compared to diesel. Alongside this, 30% less hydrocarbons and up to 9% fewer nitrogen oxides are produced, and the amount of polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons produced was also reduced.

“It cannot be doubted that the transition to net zero will be difficult for all organisations, regardless of their place in the supply chain, and there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution,” Chris concludes. “However, this does not mean that businesses can stand still – far from it, in fact.

“By identifying areas in which pragmatic choices may be made for quick and effective sustainability gains, organisations can reduce the size of the challenge ahead. Opting for greener fuels is an excellent example of this, which is yet another reason why we have made this choice to transition our fuel management services onto HVO.”

To find out more about Aggreko’s new sustainability initiative, Greener Upgrades, click here.

[Source: AIPH] AIPH is the world’s champion for the power of plants. The inaugural edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards 2022 recognises city-led initiatives relying on a greater use of plants and nature to create better and greener city environments – helping to fulfil local aspirations for improved economic, social and environmental resilience. With the deadline for submission of entries on 14^th March 2022, AIPH invites all cities, large and small, to showcase their “living green” and demonstrate that they are champions for the power of plants.

“Plants are at the core of stabilizing our ecosystems and humanity has only recently begun to understand the multitude of benefits they can provide”- Mr. Pavel Dostal, CEO at GreenVille & Vice President of the EFB

Cities are only a few short steps away from submitting an entry. Registering a city profile starts the simple process and gives you access to the online portal to compile your entry and make your final submission online. A step-by-step guide to entering the AIPH World Green City Awards contains all the information cities need to progress along this exciting journey. There is still time to join the growing number of leading cities who are actively preparing their entries and reap the benefits of this exciting opportunity. Show the world how plants and nature have transformed your city.

“Local and regional governments have a pivotal role to play in developing nature-based solutions and inclusion of plants in an urban environment. The Awards will be the moment to celebrate those success stories from our members around the world”- Ms. Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG).

The AIPH World Green City Awards are designed to celebrate and champion ambitious nature-orientated approaches to city design and operation. The 2022 edition is offered in six categories, with awards presented to the best entry in each category, and with one overall AIPH World Green City winner. Cities can submit multiple entries in more than one category to increase their chances of being chosen as a winner by the esteemed technical panel and jury. There is no cost for cities to register or to enter the Awards, and there are many benefits, which you can read about here. 

AIPH has partnered with leading organisations and city networks to bring the AIPH World Green City Awards to life: the first global cities awards where plants and nature are the core focus.

“Having promoted the sustainable development of cities for many years, Host City is proud to be a partner among this prestigious group” said Ben Avison, Editorial & Conference Director of Host City. “We commend AIPH for their leadership in recognising positive action through the World Green City Awards.”

As a global urban community, we stand together at a critical moment in the history of our planet. As our cities grow exponentially and nature continues to diminish at unprecedented rates, now is our time to take ambitious action and transform our cities into greener, healthier, and more liveable places where both humans and nature thrive in harmony.

The solutions to the complex challenges that our cities face come from nature. There has never been a better time to harness the power of plants. As we stand together, united by a common vision, the AIPH World Green City Awards aims to enable accelerated action by cities, both in 2022, the critical year for nature, and in the coming Decade of Ecosystem Restoration.

The AIPH World Green City Awards are well within reach for all cities who are committed to shaping a greener future. AIPH and partners call on cities from around the world to act now. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to lead the way and inspire a global movement for greener cities. For more information or to enter, click here.

By entering the AIPH World Green City Awards, everyone wins- Cities, People, and Planet. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions. The AIPH Green City team is available to assist cities every step of the way. For assistance or support, please contact greencity@aiph.org.

Expertise, values and innovation were decisive factors in the appointment of Sunset+Vine to provide event production, live broadcast and programme distribution for E-Bike Grand Prix (EBK GP).

EBK GP is the world’s first international E-Bike race series which will be delivered as part of a robust sustainable transformative mobility programme in each city. The concept is owned and developed by Cube International. Due to begin in late 2022 with a showcase event in Dubai, the series will take place in 10 cities around the world across 2023. Each Grand Prix will highlight iconic landmarks and cultural sites in host cities as part of a high-speed, thrilling sporting spectacle.

All EBK GP races will be free for public viewing, and coverage of the events will be broadcast internationally via television and digital media through the series’ partner, Sunset+Vine.

“Sunset+Vine provide the E-Bike GP Series with the perfect solution for event production, live broadcast and programme distribution, drawing upon their diverse and considerable expertise in live events and their major sport experience,” Andy Moss, CEO of Teams & Franchise at EBK GP and founder and chairman of Cube International told Host City.

“The team demonstrated real commitment to our core sustainability programme and offered the exciting development of second screen technology, two winning ingredients.”

“Our broadcast and media programme is a crucial asset of the EBK GP Series,” Judith Rowan, Global Host Cities Director with EBK GP and International Project Director at Cube International told Host City. “It not only offers a platform for engaging with and entertaining a global audience, but importantly it also allows us to tell the stories of our host cities through the inspirational lens of a major sporting event.”

Second screens

“As this is a new event, we have a chance here to start with first principles,” said Andrew Preece, Executive Director of Sunset+Vine told Host City. “We have innovative ideas about AR & VR and how we link together the first and second screens in real time.”

The first screen is the TV or device where audiences watch the primary coverage, with the second being another device such as a phone or tablet where they watch surrounding content such as social media at the same time.

Sunset+Vine first had the opportunity to trial some of these techniques during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in October 2019, when Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to achieve a sub-two-hour marathon. The wide range of content they produced included a gallery of photos of training during the live event.

“When watching a live sporting event, quite often it’s good to have a deeper insight into the players and the equipment, which you can’t really show as part of live coverage,” said Preece. “We can show it to them on another device so they can get a deeper insight without compromising coverage of the sporting event, and to link it events that are happening within the race.” 

360-degree services

Another advantage of working with a new event is the infrastructure can be designed with content production in mind.

“When the event company is designing the race track, we’ve got an opportunity to integrate with them on elements that work for broadcast and to incorporate the camera plan,” said Preece. “For example, we can mount a camera on a turn on a place that it would be otherwise dangerous to film. This way, we can design the coverage without distracting the players.”

Unusually, Sunset+Vine’s output extends far beyond the broadcast feed, acting as a one stop shop for all content, from live to news to social and digital.

“We are unique in the sector in offering 360-degree services – rights sales, programme distribution, live production, shoulder production such as highlights and previews, news on TV and digital, general digital and social and audience development, for example building fan bases on social platforms.

“As events like this are being viewed in more ways on more devices our 360-degree service is increasing useful to organisers, as they don’t have to employ lots of different agencies.”

Zero carbon

In keeping with EBK Grand Prix’s mission to help create cleaner, greener healthier cities, Sunset+Vine are minimising the footprint of their work.

“We are looking at zero carbon in terms of how we are doing production, including looking at options for remote production. We are considering that in terms of how we deliver the production, and we will also look at how we integrate that into the editorial,” said Preece.

“Sport has the power to inspire and motivate,” said Rowan. “Media broadcast multiplies that impact. EBK’s mission is to effect change towards sustainability around the world, and our partners Sunset+Vine have the experience and prowess to harness broadcast’s full potential to help us do that.”

Following the confirmation of Dubai as a host in October, South Korea was announced as the second host country in December 2021. Global sports and entertainment company Collinder Holdings will work closely with the South Korean government on delivering the race series there.

EBK GP’s hosts commit to a three-year Sustainable Transformation Mobility (STM) programme, with delivery and support provided by a sustainability partner.

“We are very excited to join the E-Bike Grand Prix series, promoting technology and sustainability,” said Sara Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Collinder Holdings. “South Korea is one of the global leading battery manufacturers and the EV market rapidly growing E-Bike is just the right fit for Korea”.

[Source: Aggreko] Aggreko is accelerating its investments in hydrogen technology. This step is part of its Net Zero programme and will enhance the company’s capability to provide emission-free temporary power worldwide. At present, the global leader in mobile and modular energy solutions is focusing on two different technologies.

Together with cleantech partner CMB.TECH, a 50 kVA hydrogen combustion genset demonstrator has been developed. After successful testing, Aggreko is now investing in 10 additional units to support hydrogen readiness, working with lead customers and partners to test and validate hydrogen as an energy carrier in temporary power. The solution will be ready for customer installations in Europe in H2/2021.This solution is Tier 4f/Stage V compliant without aftertreatment and results in near to no NOx emissions.
In addition, Aggreko has partnered with Nedstack for building a fuel cell demonstration unit that will integrate zero-emission hydrogen technology into Aggreko’s canopy storage battery solution. The hydrogen hybrid consists of a Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell and a lithium-ion storage system. The zero-emissions solution will be piloted in Aggreko’s hub in Moerdijk, Netherlands.
Aggreko is exploring hydrogen technologies and fuel supply logistics to better understand long-term feasibility and usage in temporary power generation. The engine and fuel cell hybrids will be available as field-trial and demonstrator units at customer’s sites in the second half of 2021. This will help businesses around the world – from events to construction - to reduce their own emissions and bridge the gap to net zero.
Carsten Reincke-Collon, Director of Future Technologies at Aggreko, said: “At Aggreko we like to think of hydrogen as having its own superpowers, given the electricity it can produce without emitting any emissions. However, businesses around the world are only at the start of the hydrogen journey and therefore need to be supported to find the best ways of integrating it into their operations. This means better knowledge of and increased investment in storage and transport infrastructure, which is why we’re testing different technologies in order to fully understand the role hydrogen can play in transitioning temporary power to net zero.”
Last year, Aggreko committed to operating as a Net Zero business across all services it provides by 2050. The company will also reduce the amount of fossil diesel fuel used in customer solutions by at least 50%, reduce local air quality emissions of its solutions by 50% and achieve Net Zero across all its own business operations by 2030. To achieve these goals, Aggreko is increasingly offering clean technologies like battery storage and solar power, as well as prioritising the use of alternative fuels.

Representatives of the United Nations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Paris 2024 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games spoke out at COP26 in Glasgow to highlight sport's capacity for action on climate change.

The speakers are all involved in the Sports for Climate Action Framework, which was launched at COP24 Katowice in 2018 as a collaboration between the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and sports organisations from all over the world.

The aims are dual: firstly to get the sports sector to move together towards a climate neutral world, and secondly to use its enormous reach to educate, inspire and raise awareness for climate action.

“Sport has a big climate footprint,” Niclas Svenningsen, Manager for the Global Climate Action team at UNFCCC told delegates at COP26 in Glasgow.

But sport also has a huge power to influence. “Not everyone might have a favourite politician, but everyone has a favourite athlete or club,” he pointed out.

Since its launch, the Sports for Climate Action Framework has grown to encompass 300 sports organisations including IOC, FIFA, Paris 2024 and many others. As one of the first sectoral partnerships, the sports framework has also led the way for other sectors to follow suit.

“We want to promote sustainable consumption and advocate more climate action towards athletes, fans, suppliers and everyone else.”

The Sports for Climate Action Framework aligns the sports sector with the UNFCCC Paris agreement to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by at least 2050 – including emissions by suppliers. The Sports for Climate Action Framework has set its own target to surpass this goal and achieve net zero by 2040.

“Almost everyone says we have to do this,” said Svenningsen.

One of the first organisations to get involved in Sports for Climate Action with the UNFCCC was the IOC.

Julie Duffus, Sustainability Senior Manager at the IOC confirmed that the organisation is on track with these goals. And in addition to the UNFCCC targets, the IOC has added an interim goal of reducing the carbon footprint of the Games by 30% by 2024, beyond which all future Games will have to be climate positive.

When it “walks the talk” on climate change, sports can use its power to influence others to change.

“We have such an opportunity to reach so many people,” Duffus said. “We also work with the Olympic movement – international federations, National Olympic Committees and Organising Committees – to reduce their carbon footprint and to use their agency to reach people.

“The athletes are great advocates to reach so many people. If we can give them a voice, we can reach a lot more people to take action individually and within their communities.”

Engaging everyone on earth

Hannah Mills MBE, the most successful female Olympic sailor of all time, is a sustainability ambassador for IOC. Her interest in sustainability began at Rio 2016 where she saw the scale of the problem of plastic pollution.

“What I’m really passionate about is using my voice, but also encouraging other athletes to lend their voice to these massive challenges,” she said.

“Nothing brings people together as much as sport or the Olympic Games does. It’s an amazing coming together of the human race in one place.

“I’m here to say to the politicians: Tokyo delivered a Games that no one that no one thought would happen – now it’s over to you to lead and deliver for us at COP26.

“We need every single person on earth to be engaged with it and doing their bit.”

“Everyone here is really committed to giving sport the platform and the opportunity to put forward the agenda for climate change and the sustainable development goals.

“Athletes have a key role. I appreciate we have a footprint as well, through sports events. But sport has a positive impact in so many areas and if we can harness that, then we stand a really good chance of tackling this crisis in the way that we need to.”

Team spirit

As Director of Sustainability at the Paris 2024 Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Georgina Grenon is responsible for achieving climate action.

“The Olympic and Paralympic Games is the biggest event in the world, and we are facing mankind’s biggest challenge.

“We couldn’t stage the Games like we used to. That’s why we’re fully aligned with the Paris agreement, to be the first Games to leave a positive impact on the environment.

“It is not easy. This is a race we have to win, and this is where athletes inspire us. We all have to become climate athletes, to be inspired by their resilience, to be objective and to go beyond what was done before.”

The carbon footprint of previous Summer Olympic Games has been estimated to be around 3.5m tons of CO2. The biggest component of this is travel, followed by construction, and then operations.

Using guidelines from the IOC, the Paris 2024 organisers have assessed the carbon footprint of their Games to be 1.5m tonnes of CO2. This major reduction is being achieved using 100% renewable energy, by building in a more efficient way, and by using existing buildings.

“This is how you start slashing emissions in a pragmatic way. It takes team spirit with international organisations like the IOC and all our suppliers to make this happen,” says Grenon.

“We are trying to progress in our way and want to get all of you in Paris in 2024 to celebrate this win as well.”

Positive brand affiliations

Hannah Mills highlighted another important responsibility of athletes and sports organisations – their affiliation with brands.

“As an athlete what’s not talked about enough is sponsorship in sport – who athletes choose to partner with and the messages they send.

“We have audiences, including young people who are influenced. We want to send positive messages from brands who want to do the right thing.

“Sport events have the ability showcase many solutions that wouldn’t have the platform otherwise.

“We can give sponsors the opportunity to show their best in these sport events,” Grenon added. “Most of the solutions are not there and we can’t bring them up on our own.”

“Sport has to come together with academia to find these solutions,” said Duffus. “It’s only by working together that we are going to solve this crisis.”

As well as decarbonising, Paris 2024 is also working across all 17 UN Sustainable Development goals “The social aspects are extremely important,” said Grenon. “This is how you build a sustainable legacy for the Games.”

The Olympic movement might be ahead of some sectors in decarbonisation, but there is still no time to lose.

“We have known about climate change for 100 years. We have to change now,” said Svenningsen.

“Sports is such an important part of raising awareness – it’s like the oil in the machinery. I’m positive we are going to reach a goal.”

To find out more from UNFCCC, IOC, Paris 2024 and how events can contribute to the environmental bottom line, register now for Host City 2021, taking place online from Glasgow on 7-8 December

[Source: AIPH] For the past 18 months, people have faced isolation challenges worldwide as they cope with the Covid-19 Pandemic. Many have sought and found harmony interacting with nature and in open green spaces. It has become evident, too, in the face of climate action, that more than ever, cities need to develop green credentials and urban areas and drive the appreciation and benefits of plants and flowers in the built environment.

International Horticultural Expos are beautiful events that showcase nature, are enjoyed by millions of visitors, and leave environmentally positive legacies for the host city’s residents. The International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) has a mandate agreed by the 1928 Paris Convention and subsequent protocols. Since 1960, International Horticultural Expos have been approved and regulated by AIPH. A gallery of these expos can be viewed online www.aiph.org/expos/history/

On 19 October 2021, organisers from forthcoming AIPH approved Expos will be presenting their progress reports. This free online conference is an excellent opportunity to learn more about upcoming Expos as well as hosting or being involved with an International Horticultural Expo and network with Expo organisers, city representatives interested in hosting an expo, urban developers, AIPH members, NGOs, international city and environmental organisations and suppliers to major events.

Millions are spent developing these international spectacles that can stimulate the development of entire cities and transform the international reputation of hosting regions. Each Exhibition attracts many international participants and millions of visitors and lasts up to six months, with sites ranging from the smallest of 25 hectares to the largest of 500 hectares or more. Every Expo is carefully regulated, steered, and monitored by AIPH.

From now until 2027 AIPH has approved the following Expos in China, Turkey, Qatar, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Japan.

A1 World Horticultural Expos

Expo 2022 Floriade (the Netherlands)
14 April – 9 October 2022.
Theme – Growing Green Cities

Expo 2023 Doha (Qatar).
2 October 2023 – 28 March 2024
Theme – Green Desert, Better Environment

World Horticultural Exhibition 2027 Yokohama (Japan).
March – September 2027
Theme – Scenery of the Future for Happiness

B International Horticultural Exhibitions

Expo 2021 Yangzhou (China)

Expo 2021 Hatay (Turkey)

Expo 2023 Kahramanmaraş (Turkey)

Suncheon Bay International Garden Expo 2023 (South Korea).

International Horticultural Exhibition Chengdu 2024 (China)

Expo İzmir 2026 (Turkey)

There will also be news on progress from the organisers of the International Horticultural Show, Euroflora 2022, where organisers promise a voyage of rare beauty from 23 April until 8 May in Genova, Italy.

Putting Sustainability at the heart of AIPH-approved Expos

As the world’s champion for the power of plants, AIPH is committed to a sustainable future in which humanity, technology, and nature exist in a healthy and stable equilibrium.

To cement our dedication to a sustainable future, AIPH has developed a new Sustainability Policy. Independent Sustainability Expert Mr David Stubbs, formerly Head of Sustainability for London 2012 Olympics & Paralympic Games, will present the policy and Rules for AIPH Expos at the Virtual Expo Conference. These rules will describe the standards for the planning and staging of horticultural Expos to ensure they are the world’s most sustainable major events.

New AIPH Reporting procedures

During the conference, AIPH will reveal news on the new reporting procedures for approved Expos. Ms Elena Terekhova, AIPH International Relations Manager, and Mr Peter Ward, Managing Director of WeTrack, will introduce the WeTrack online programme that Expos will be required to use for reporting and the benefits of using this as an event management tool.

We are grateful to our Gold Sponsor PERA Event, and Event Partners AGES (Association of Global Event Suppliers), the Department for International Trade, and Major Events International. Including Media Partners Host City and FloraCulture International.

Registration for the virtual conference is free. For more information on this event, visit our website www.aiph.org/event/expo-conference-oct-2021/

Coldplay aims at reducing emissions related to their next world tour by 50 per cent, and to remove the remaining unavoidable emissions with a portfolio of carbon removal solutions.  
“Playing live and finding connection with people is ultimately why we exist as a band,” said Coldplay. 
“We’ve been planning this tour for years, and we’re super excited to play songs from across our whole time together. At the same time, we’re very conscious that the planet is facing a climate crisis. 
“So we’ve spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward. We won’t get everything right, but we’re committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn. It’s a work in progress and we’re really grateful for the help we’ve had so far.” 
Nature-based carbon removal solutions to be used include reforestation, soil restoration, rewilding, and blue carbon projects, such as seagrass meadow restoration. Other solutions include sustainable aviation fuels, and a direct air capture and storage solution from Climeworks – the only technological approach included. 
Christoph Gebald, co-CEO and co-founder of Climeworks said: “It is already proven that carbon removal at scale is a must on the current emissions pathway and technological solutions will be needed. 
“We are very inspired to see public figures like Coldplay seizing the magnitude of the challenge and acting boldly by working towards ambitious emissions reduction and removing the unavoidable part. Supporting them with our carbon dioxide removal service takes us one step closer to our vision of inspiring 1 billion people to remove CO2 from the air.” 
To limit global warming to 1.5°C, humanity needs to drastically reduce emissions (also called mitigation), which prevents new CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Historic and unavoidable emissions must also be removed from the air to achieve net-zero and net-negative emissions globally. 
According to Climeworks, some scientific studies indicate that by mid-century 10 billion tons of CO2 will need to be removed from the air every year to keep global warming in the line of the limits of the Paris Agreement.