O-Ringen Magazine, nr 1 - 2022

Wise choices make
O-Ringen more sustainable
During the five-year period 2021-2025, O-Ringen focuses on being "A well-known
sustainable experience". Sustainable development of O-Ringen is about finding a
balance between social, environmental, and economic sustainability that allows
us to continue to create opportunities for existing and future generations of
participants to share community, joy, and experiences at O-Ringen. We will make
active and wise choices for a balanced and optimized sustainability. Our work and
our sustainability goals will contribute to the global sustainability goals.
TEXT ANNA WENNERTORP PHOTO PETER HOLGERSSON
For support in becoming an even more
sustainable experience, O-Ringen has
enlisted the help of Greentime. A digital
planning tool allows us to work actively with
our goals around environmental, social, and
economic aspects in a structured way. The
goal of O-Ringen is to be able to call itself a
Certified Sustainable Event. So how do we
get there?
Simon Strandvik, CEO of Greentime, says:
– To get the certification, O-Ringen
needs to achieve a number of sustainability
requirements in the planning tools associated
with the certification process. A variety of
questions related to sustainability are answered
and when the questions are answered,
an independent auditor will review these
answers. There is also a site check during
the O-Ringen event, which also results in a
protocol with observations and improvement
proposals.
Greentime has been around since 2014 and
works to make it possible for more people to
arrange sustainable events. The aim is to accelerate
the transition to a sustainable society.
Emissions really needs to be reduced and the
transition to a sustainable society must be
much faster. People's needs must be met, but
it must be done in a sustainable way.
– If we can get large organizers to focus
on sustainability and act accordingly, there
are also good opportunities to have a great
impact on the participants at the event. The
organizers become key players when we want
to make people more sustainable since an
event creates particularly good communication
spaces where important messages can be
conveyed, says Simon.
A sustainable event
One concept that comes up when talking
about sustainability is Greenwashing. In
short, this means that a company or organization
paints a false picture of being sustainable
and environmentally friendly, when its
actions in reality are completely ineffective
and insignificant and actually has negative
effects on the environment. Therefore, it
is very important to be able to document
and report what is being done to achieve
sustainability. Both protocols and auditing
are necessary tools here. The support that
Greentime contributes is also an important
part of the journey towards becoming a
certified sustainable event. Another crucial
thing is continuity and that O-Ringen has
sustainability as one of its most important
goals in its strategy is of course also crucial
to success. Simon Strandvik:
– O-Ringen has an advantage in that there
is a lot of documentation and willingness to
work with the sustainability both within the
event and at the Swedish Orienteering Federation.
The participants are also a group that
has great respect for nature from childhood.
You simply know that you are not supposed
to litter and that you should protect the
environment.
But how sustainable is O-Ringen?
– Getting a big event completely sustainable
is difficult but the work that O-Ringen
has done so far and is in the middle of is
outstanding, according to Simon, as the
sustainability issue is very central and omnipresent.
The fact that nature is the arena
for the event means that there is a built-in
responsibility for the environment from
both participants and organizers as well as
partners and suppliers linked to O-Ringen
.
How do we become
more sustainable together?
– There is no end to things you can do, but
you must focus on what you can do and
what you do well. Events have an environmental
impact, but we also have a responsibility
and a great opportunity to do things
and make changes that have a positive effect
on both people and the environment.
According to Simon, there are several concrete
things we can think about to become
more sustainable before and during the event.
– If I can mention three things, I would
choose transportation, what you eat, and
how you create and take care of your waste. If
you can reduce your emissions by taking the
train or carpooling to Uppsala and cycling
once you are there, it makes a big difference
and emissions are reduced, especially if there
are many who do so. During the event itself,
it matters a lot what you eat, perhaps you
could choose the “greener” option and thus
have less climate impact. And then there is
the waste – take care of your trash and sort
it correctly so it can be taken care of. And
if I can add one more thing, it is water use.
Use water sparingly when you shower in the
arena or wash dishes at the campsite – you
are many who with small savings can create a
big one together.
– Together we make a difference and
are part of something good and the goal of
O-Ringen is to facilitate and enable these
differences that create sustainability in the
long term.
Simon Strandvik
CEO of Greentime
52 O-RINGEN MAGAZINE NR 1 • 2022 O-RINGEN MAGAZINE NR 1 • 2022 53