SUSTAINABILITY PROJECT LAUNCHED BY AISTS AND ICF
The International Canoe Federation (ICF) and Romanian Canoe Federation have launched a new sustainable events initiative in partnership with AISTS.
The initiative piloted at the 2019 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Pitești, Romania earlier this month. It follows ICF’s ongoing effort to minimise the environmental impact of their events.
The federation worked closely with AISTS to define various key areas of improvement including minimising plastic waste, providing free tap water and refillable bottles, switching to on-demand printing to cut down on wastage, and offering vegetarian and locally-sourced food options.
“This was the first time we have tested our sustainability program at a canoe sprint event, and we are absolutely thrilled with the results,” ICF sustainability manager, Catherine Wieser, said. “It was also important for us to be able to tap into our younger members of the canoeing community, who tend to be very environmentally aware. The feedback was very positive and we are confident we have built a platform for events for the future.”
AISTS works with sporting organisations, federations, and NOCs globally on various mandates and projects, across areas as diverse as sustainability to legacy. The AISTS team assisted ICF in analysing areas to be improved, formulating an implementation plan, as well as surveying over 160 people at the event to gather insights and feedback.
“As well as the obvious sustainability benefits, the main impact of the pilot has been education,” says Andrea Marcellini, AISTS’ project manager. “Across all areas – from the athletes to the audience – people we surveyed were delighted to learn the ways that they could make a positive impact. It’s a great step in the right direction for ICF and we look forward to building on this success at future events.”
