100% renewable energy for Athletissima

Organisers of the 35^th Athletissima meeting, Thursday’s edition of the IAAF Diamond League in Lausanne, have announced that the event will be 100% powered by renewable energy.

The move to switch the Olympic Stadium venue's electricity supply source  to a “green energy” initiative offered by the city of Lausanne is part of the world-famous meeting’s environment and sustainability strategy, developed in recent months using the European Athletics’ Sustainable Sports and Event Toolkit (SSET).

 

Working with a group of students from the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS), educational partners of European Athletics, Athletissima organisers used the SSET to assess its impact on the environment and the community and identify measures it could take to become more responsible and raise awareness about sustainability issues. 

The evaluation focused on six broad categories: venue, education, communication, transportation, food and beverage and it lead to a number of recommendations for demonstrating Athletissima's commitment.

In addition to changing its energy supplier, Athletissima has announced the following measures to be implemented for this year's event:

• The organisers will work jointly with the city of Lausanne to reduce the amount of waste generated at the event by providing colour-coded bins to separate recyclable materials and inform spectators about which bins to use.
• Pre-event publicity will encourage spectators to carpool and free public transport will be offered to ticket holders in order to reduce overall emissions.
• The event's catering services will provide reusable cups, an initiative that has proven successful at a number of events across the country.
• A “cool and clean” programme that aims to promote healthy living, clean and active lifestyles, especially for young people, will be run in the area adjacent to the stadium as an integral part of the event.

AISTS student will be stationed at the front entrance of the stadium to brief spectators about the event's sustainability initiatives.

European Athletics launched the SSET in 2009. It was co-developed with AISTS, and a number of sport organisation partners including the International Olympic Committee and the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organising Committee.

More than 14 athletics events across Europe have used or are planning on using the tool, including the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona and 2011 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Paris.

- With special thanks to reporter Sandra Xerri (a student at the International Academy of Sports Science and Technology).