Description
Despite the environmental nature of orienteering the practice of organizing competitions is less so due to the high rates of waste and traffic-related emissions. Thus the project aims at gaining support for „green orienteering competitions” from the broadest possible segments of the Hungarian orienteering community, and to put environmental goals into practice meanwhile changing current skeptical attitudes. Project activities include the development of a green event organizing tailored to the special needs of the sport; the provision of technical assistance and necessary tools for organizers; the creation of a targeted car-sharing webpage; the engagement and empowerment of competitors and organizers; as well as general information raising on competition spots mutually targeting competitors and organizers, county and country level federations, as well as further sport federations. The project will result in the reduction of envionmental impacts of orienteering.
Summary of project results
The project addressed the environmental impact of the orienteering competitions due to the high rates of waste and traffic-related emissions by the means of developing and testing a methodology and toolkit by the adaptation of which the negative effects of the events could have been reduced. This aim was fulfilled by the development of a coherent greening methodology and policy focusing on the most important issues like waste prevention (with the introduction of selective waste collection on the spots, favouring the consumption of tap rather than bottled water, applying reusable symbol holders and race numbers, electronic result indication), traffic mitigation (urging carpooling in cooperation with a service provider), sustainable consumption (introduction of vegetarian meals and fair trade products to the buffet) as well as a physical toolkit (including reusable cups, water barrels, trash bins for selective waste collection) was purchased and used at one international, one regional and 6 national cups in 2015. At each of these events the promoter also run a “green tent” in order to provide information for and engage the orienteers with the program. At the end of the project the methodology has been taken over and adopted officially by the national orienteering alliance.
Summary of bilateral results