Environmental sustainability – at the heart of ESC Congress 2024
30 Aug 2024
ESC Congress 2024 - Sustainability “The growing evidence that environmental factors, such as pollution and climate change, contribute significantly to the burden of CVD means that aiming for a heart-healthy environment is a key priority for the cardiovascular community,” says ESC Vice President, Professor Massimo Piepoli (IRCCS Policlinico San Donato - Milan, Italy). “Sustainability is not a buzz word. To the ESC, it represents a guiding principle that now, more than ever, is underpinning its operations and activities.” The ESC has been mindful of its environmental responsibilities for several years and one of the first steps to focusing on the sustainability of its congresses began at ESC Congress 2022, when measures were put in place to reduce and offset the carbon footprint associated with activities in Barcelona. Then last year, environmental sustainability was identified as one of the six strategic aims in the ESC Strategic Plan for 2023–2028, designed to guide the ESC, and the wider community, through the dynamic, changing landscape of the future. In addition, four sustainability pillars – revolving around energy, production and waste, travel and accommodation, and food – were introduced at ESC Congress 2023 in Amsterdam, which also had a particular emphasis on supporting environmentally friendly travel.
Prof. Piepoli notes that efforts have been heightened even more since then: “The ESC Congress Focus Group has been created, consisting of representatives from the ESC, industry and congress venues. Its mission is to foster sustainable congress practices that address the interconnected challenges of climate change.” Leading up to ESC Congress 2024, the first objective of the new group was to evaluate the current status in terms of the ESC, industry and the venue. Then, targets were set, priorities defined and potential actions were discussed around the four sustainability pillars. Steps taken include reducing carpeting, making water fountains available, serving locally produced food as far as possible, promoting public transport and green hotels, and encouraging meat-free dining on Sunday.
Want to contribute to reducing the amount of pollution and waste you generate? There are plenty of steps that you can take at ESC Congress 2024.
Sustainability does not stop in London. After the congress, action plans will be co-developed for upcoming major congresses. Under the support of the ESC Presidency, a new ESC Statement on environmental risk factors and CV health is also being developed, with the collaboration of ESC Associations, Councils, Working Groups and international experts, and will be presented and published in the coming year.
