FENS commitment to sustainability: offset of the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum and donation to Woodland Trust

As part of FENS commitment to sustainability, for the first time, delegates, when registering for the FENS Forum 2020, were invited to offset their flights and make a 5-euro donation to the Woodland Trust, with FENS fully matching each delegate’s contribution. With the shift to a virtual Forum, FENS has maintained this commitment and a donation of EUR 7,050 has now been made to the Woodland Trust, representing the delegates’ donations fully matched by FENS. This donation aims to support the Loch Arkaig pine forest, a local sustainability and biodiversity project in the Scottish Highlands.

Similarly, in keeping with the commitment of FENS to organise a more environmentally-friendly Forum (see below), the carbon footprint of the FENS 2020 Virtual Forum (30.82 tCO2) has been offset. The proceeds from offsetting will support a project in Uganda, providing clean cookstoves to replace rudimentary practices such as open fires. This project been certificated for best practices through Gold Standard.

FENS commitment to sustainability

Convinced of the value of bringing researchers together for scientific exchange and progress, when preparing for the FENS Forum 2020 planned to take place in Glasgow (Scotland), FENS decided to actively address the associated environmental impact of its meetings, including the Forum, by taking concrete actions.
Advised by CO2logic (now Agendi), a leading sustainability advisory organisation, FENS developed a trifold action which includes sustainability initiatives embedded throughout the entire planning process:

• Reduce and minimise irresponsible use of energy, resources and waste
• Maximise recycling in a responsible way
• Enable delegates to offset the carbon emissions from their air transport when they register. The proceeds from offsetting will support projects from developing countries which have been certificated for best practices.

FENS also committed to have each Forum’s footprint audited after completion and areas of improvement identified. FENS will keep on applying this strategy, including for the upcoming Forum 2022, planned to take place in Paris, France, on 9-13 July 2022.
Reducing the footprint of its activities is part of the values advocated by FENS and FENS will keep on looking for ways to reduce its environmental footprint.