26th Winter Universiade: a Zero Emission Event

TRENTINO – The environment will be the first medal winner at the 26^th Winter Universiade in Trentino next December since the WU Organising Committee is putting in a lot of effort to label the 26^th edition a zero emission event.

Therefore, the WU Organising Committee has carefully planned a ‘Zero Emission Universiade Project’. The ambitious project was recently explained during a press conference in which participated Trentino’s provincial minister to City planning, local authorities and staff, Mauro Gilmozzi together with Marino Simoni, president of Consorzio dei Comuni Trentini (Trentino’s municipalities consortium); Paolo Bouquet, Trentino WUOC vice-president; Filippo Bazzanella, Trentino WUOC secretary-general and Matteo Manica, representative of the University of Trento. 

The WU Organising Committee aimes at cutting the forecasted 20,000 tons of CO₂ emissions to be produced by the Winter Universiade opting, instead, for the adoption of a set of good practices, ranging from sustainable mobility to waste management, in order to minimize this event’s environmental impact.

One of the main resolutions of the 2013 WU manifesto is to be a paper free event, avoiding the use of this material enhancing the use of digital supports. Also Consorzio dei Comuni Trentini and PEFC (Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) Italia agreed on the adoption of such manifesto undersigning a Memorandum of Agreement to cooperate with the Organising Committee. PEFC Italia will participate in the project certificating structures and works carried out for WU competitions using local labeled wood coming from sustainably and legally managed forests. Anyone willing to participate and share the goal of the Sustainability manifesto will be a sponsor for Trentino WU 2013 reducing energetic consumptions and thus emissions.

Provincial minister Gimozzi highlighted how the Universiade’s participants will be hosted in a territory green at heart, investing in green with sustainable buildings using local certified wood. Moreover, Trentino’s Universiade will be a full accessible event. It will also count on a sustainable mobility; a waste management system, local broadband network, and food and environmental guidelines.

More detailed info on the sustainability efforts of the 2013 WU Organising Committee can be found here.

(Source: Trentino 2013 OC)