Sustainable meetings & events
From electronic application forms to virtual conference apps – sustainable meetings and events don’t only protect our environment; they also have a positive effect on the company image and leave a lasting impression on participants.
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Instead of generating huge piles of garbage and causing long traffic jams, events nowadays strive toward energy efficiency, avoiding waste, and an environmentally friendly journey to and from the event. So-called green meetings and events are highly popular in the tourism sector, because sustainable events contribute to the protection of the environment, support regional supply chains, take social responsibility, and leave a good impression on the community, guests, customers and sponsors. Bern Welcome is committed to a sustainable tourism sector in Bern and its surroundings and actively promotes sustainable change.
Bern: the ideal location for sustainable events
If you are planning an environmentally conscious meeting or conference, looking for a keynote speaker specialised in sustainability, or want to organise a climate-friendly team event, Bern is the perfect place – here’s why.
Did you know that, when it comes to sustainability, little Switzerland is often at the forefront? The Environmental Performance Index (EPI for short) is an international study that compares the environmental performance of countries and companies and creates a quantitative scorecard – and Switzerland regularly ranks among the top countries.
Bern – actively sustainable
Regional resources, little waste, high efficiency. What sounds like a dream is a clean reality in Bern. For years, the city has been committed to a sustainable use of energies and resources, which is why, in the year 2019, the city was awarded the label “European Energy Award Gold” for its commitment to a sustainable energy policy for the future. Furthermore, Bern has been carrying the title “Fair Trade Town” since 2017, and the city intends to continue playing a leading role as a growing, creative, green, open-minded and social city in Switzerland.
Energy and the environment
Topics related to energy and the environment are part of the most important economical and scientific clusters in the greater Bern area.
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Virtual and hybrid events
In the age of globalisation and in a world that is increasingly aware that sustainability has not only an ecological and social but also an economic component, virtual and hybrid meetings and events are becoming more and more common. Although they cannot completely replace face-to-face meetings, they can come close if they are done right.
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National Champion: that title didn’t only go to Bern’s soccer and ice hockey teams in in 2019, the federal city can also call itself “Energiestadt-Meister”, Energy City Champion. With 87.2 out of 100 possible points, Bern scored the highest ever rating for an Energy City in Switzerland. In the last eight years, the city has been able to lower its emissions by about one tonne of CO2 to five tonnes per capita. And regarding heat supply, the emissions have been reduced by an impressive 28 percent since 2008.
Projects and awareness-raising measures
The city of Bern is committed to sustainable development and has launched the following projects and awareness-raising measures:
- Klimaplattform der Wirtschaft (Climate Platform of the Economic Sector)
A cooperation between the city administration and private companies with the aim of contributing to the reduction of pollutant emissions.
- Environment Award
As part of the city of Bern’s environmental management and sustainable procurement programme, an environment award is presented every two years.
- Energy Award
This award honours companies that are strongly committed to energy efficiency and renewable energies.
- Berner Sozialstern (“Social Star”)
The Sozielstern is awarded to companies that are particularly committed to helping people with mental disabilities.
- City of bikes
With its bicycle offensive, Bern aims to get people to move around the city by bike. Ideal for a lively and attractive city. The goal is to double the proportion accounted for by bicycles in total traffic by 2030.
- Berner Umwelttage (Environment Days)
The Bern Environment Days offer a platform for all who start campaigns and projects for a more sustainable future.
Sustainability at the University of Bern
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“Sustainability is, on all levels, a trademark of the University of Bern. With its cutting-edge international research, the University of Bern wants to make a concrete contribution to the sustainable development of society”, said principal Christian Leumann in an interview with the scientific magazine UniPress on 21 February 2020.
The University of Bern is actively committed to sustainable development in research, teaching and business operations and promotes the respectful use of ecological, economic and social resources. Among other things, it conducts excellent disciplinary, inter- and trans-disciplinary research with an international focus on issues such as the climate, responding to global change (north-south relations), and the regulation of world trade. Topics such as biodiversity and research on resources, particularly water and energy supplies, as well as gender studies are also focal points.
International network: the specialised research centres at the University of Bern that focus on sustainability are well-connected both nationally and internationally, and their research is held in high esteem internationally.
If you are looking for an interesting keynote speaker for your next congress or a guest speaker that will leave a lasting impression, you should consider someone from the following research centres at the University of Bern:
If you are interested in a presentation, please contact the respective centre directly.
Centre for Development and Environment
The Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) is a strategic centre at the University of Bern and employs some 100 people from 25 different disciplines. The CDE has an innovative approach to research and teaching in order to be able to spark substantial transformations toward sustainable development. It works on different projects with various partners such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) or the foundation Stiftung Risiko-Dialog. By the way: the CDE contributes substantially to the United Nations Global Sustainable Development Reports.
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Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research
The Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR) is one of the strategic centres of the University of Bern and a centre of excellence for climate change, bringing together scientists from 14 institutes and four faculties that conduct interdisciplinary research at the forefront of climate change studies. At the OCCR, researchers from the fields of economy, political science, history, archaeology, philosophy, physics and medicine all work together. Some of the centre’s members are part of international committees such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPCC.
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Network for science, politics, and the economy
A globally leading research and implementation centre in the field of humans and nature is being set up at the University of Bern: the Wyss Academy for Nature. On four continents, teams of scientists will join forces with experienced experts and representatives from the fields of politics, economy and society to develop innovations aimed at protecting nature and ensuring the sustainable use thereof. The implementation-oriented applications, strategies and policy guidelines are tested at the centres of the Wyss Academy and then extended to other regions. The different stakeholders cooperate in a novel way, breaking up the conventional silos of science, nature conservation, international aid and policy making, thus enabling a quick application and implementation of the scientific findings.
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Hotels and venues
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Green is not just the colour of the trees outside the meeting room window anymore. Bernese congress, seminar and event venues are proactively switching to a green, environmentally friendly and sustainable approach, from regional products to social responsibility to climate-friendly travelling. Here’s an overview of local service providers that are committed to protecting the environment:
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The rooftops of Bern are abuzz! Ten queens and some 300,000 worker bees live on the terrace of the Kursaal Bern. Guests staying at the the Swissôtel Kursaal Bern can enjoy homemade honey for breakfast and honey ice cream in summer. And once a year, the bears in the BearPark get a taste of the liquid gold, too: when they come out of hibernation in spring, honey from the Kursaal is on their menu. Find out more in the video.