13. Greening of COP-9
The Secretariat of the Convention and the German Government want to create a setting that is true to the spirit of the Convention and meets the requirements of environment protection in general. Germany is therefore organizing the meeting in line with a comprehensive and ambitious environmental plan with the purpose of ensuring that, to the extent possible, environmental impacts resulting from the meeting are avoided or, at a minimum, reduced, to give participants first-hand experience of the ideas behind the environmental concept and thus indirectly also promote the goals of the meeting.
The main areas that the concept will address are waste management, environmentally sound mobility of participants, efficient use of energy and water during the meeting and catering with a direct link to "agro biodiversity", one of the main topics of the meeting. Climate protection will also play a key role as it is closely connected to biodiversity.
13.1 Waste
The starting point for the waste concept is waste prevention. Proper organization already creates the necessary basis for ensuring that large volumes of waste do not even arise at the meeting. To facilitate efficient waste recycling, separate collection will be uniformly implemented. Catering staff, for example, or workers erecting and dismantling equipment will separate wastes into the following categories: glass, paper (paper, cardboard packaging materials), recycling (plastics and other packaging materials) and general waste (residual refuse). There will be additional categories in the kitchens, e.g. biowastes.
Pictographs for separate waste collection:
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| general waste (residual refuse) |
paper, cardboard packaging materials |
plastics and other packaging materials |
It is hardly possible to imagine a meeting without documents and brochures, but it is a great help to the environment if participants only take, distribute or copy what is really of interest and will actually be read. Different waste containers will also be placed throughout the meeting venue, including the public areas, enabling participants to dispose e.g. of their waste paper separately. This means that every participant can actively support the waste concept.
13.2 Energy and water
Energy and water consumption for the meeting will be kept as low as possible. All electricity needs will be supplied by certified green electricity for the duration of the meeting.
13.3 Transport
The transport concept aims at providing participants with a comprehensive range of environmentally friendly public transport modes for journeys to and from the meeting. Vehicles such as shuttle buses will be subject to particularly stringent environmental standards. The concept also includes free use of the public transport network in Bonn for journeys to the meeting venue. Further information on this can be found in sections 14 (Arrival/Departure) and 16 (Transportation between hotels and meeting venue).
13.4 Catering
The catering for the meeting represents a culinary experience with the menu including bioproducts, and reflecting the spirit of biodiversity with regional specialities and organic food. Products such as fair trade coffee will also be available.
13.5 Climate protection
The German Government is committed to minimizing the negative impacts on the climate. All greenhouse gas emissions, e.g. in the transport and energy sectors, well be kept as low as possible. All non-avoidable greenhouse gas emissions, for example emissions resulting from the long flights which many participants must take to and from Germany, will be offset by investments in climate-protection projects elsewhere. These projects will comply with the highest ecological and social standards.
