rainbow_warrior
Photo: Jeff Tan / Greenpeace

We are not for sale

Some thirty years ago, a group of young geographers, myself included, discussed whether or not to join the crew aboard Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior. The legendary vessel earned legendary status after French secret service agents sank it in 1985. The ship had protested against nuclear testing on the island of Moruroa. In 1995, a new Rainbow Warrior set sail for the oceans, forever changing the face of green activism.

Before Rainbow Warrior sank, it achieved a slew of resounding achievements:

  • Exposing the Greek subsidiary of Rhone-Poulenc corporation that had polluted the environment with freons (CHC), a chemical that causes ozone depletion.
  • Uncovering how the Japanese discarded radioactive nuclear waste in oceans.
  • Exposing how radioactive waste was shipped to third-world countries, including Mexico, the Philippines, Albania and African countries, where Western countries made enormous profits.
  • Protesting against whaling in Japan
  • Divulging how American and Canadian asbestos was burned in Ukraine

Many of us were infatuated with a deep love for ecology in that era. The words of my selfless professor, Mr. Dušan Plut, PhD, who shared his contagious passion for preserving our planet, forever resonated with me.

rainbow_warrior
Photo: Greenpeace
I fondly remember how we pondered about joining the crew on deck of the Rainbow Warrior and becoming pioneering activists. Despite having many conversations and internal aspirations, we always pathetically decided on a less adventurous life, not a life of activism. An enthusiastic student like myself idealised a movement like Greenpeace and wanted to think of the Rainbow Warrior as a home of friendship and creativity.

Even today, young activists likely feel the same way about the ideas that infected me back then. They would give everything to be part of the change.

Even today, young activists likely feel the same way about the ideas that infected me back then. They would give everything to be part of the change. It is similar to love, which is stronger than life, as Shakespeare remarked. You would give your life for love, right? That is why sustainability is a modus vivendi. It is also a form of consolation that makes real change possible.

Then came the wake-up call. When techno-capitalism permeated every pore of society, people became hungry for new products, and even sustainability became a product for many. Sustainability is like a product in a store that should always look fresh, new and easy to sell. Capitalism brought many unwanted side effects, including envy, machinations, hatred, and greed, but also some positive effects. The moral of a young geographer’s passion for ecology is that life and love are bound together forever. But, we must always critically observe the world around us.

The problem with some of the companions I mentioned is that they have lost touch with the world, some even losing themselves. I know several colleagues who, instead of being true to themselves, turned to pathetic advocates of shortcuts.

We have known for some time that the planet is warming due to anthropogenic activity. Over 97% of scientists agree with this. Regardless, a not insignificant part of the population begs to differ, including American Republicans. It is hard to believe they do not believe their own eyes as the wildfires swallow up acres of land in Los Angeles.

Many still turn a blind eye, stating these are natural occurrences, as they know admitting otherwise would mean they would need to make a behavioural change. They resort to trivial claims that supposedly refute any evidence of climate change. Pseudoscience can be perilous and most often spreads its wings during crises. Those who argue climate change is a liberal invention claim that the weather occurrences pestering our planet are part of a natural cycle and not the result of human-induced change. Second, they claim the Sun’s heat is to blame for the high temperatures.

california_fire
Photo: Canva Pro

A tonne of theory is incomparable to a gramme of practice

Simplifications and generalisations are typical of our times. Our world is intrinsically complex, as are the problems we face. Seeking shortcuts within this complexity has become a feature of our society. Lying to ourselves that we are improving something while stagnating will not solve the challenges needed to sustainably transform the meetings industry, or the world, for that matter. Perhaps that is the reason there is so much greenwashing in our industry.

Events have the incredible power to empower and educate

Why I consider myself an advocate of events is as plain as day. Events have the incredible power to empower and educate. Often, events fight against a low level of awareness. That is one of our industry’s core missions. In my opinion, the meetings industry can potentially turn the climate crisis from a problem into an advantage. However, there is no more time to wait or falter. We have already spent that time. Now, we must go from words to actions. We can take a train to an all-important event, save energy, change our diet, reduce waste and change our consumer habits. As event organisers, we must first measure the carbon footprint, effects and legacy of our events.

I wrote several times that you can only manage and improve what you measure in sustainability. Every professional plan first needs an analysis of the elementary state. Any subjective evaluation is like fortune telling. Only by measuring and providing concrete numbers can we focus on key sustainability segments that must be addressed. The numbers show the truth without beautification. Perhaps that is the reason we fear them. It is incomparably easier to live a lie than to call a spade a spade, let alone measure progress. The latter is often much slower than we expect or wish for.

Through Conventa’s green story, I learned that years of planning, pondering, and green activations mean nothing if we don’t address the elephant in the room – measuring an event’s effects holistically. A tonne of theory is incomparable to a gramme of practice.

A while ago, I spontaneously wrote that certification systems are similar to pyramid schemes. Those on top of the pyramid try to make the system as complex as possible and depend on consultants. More complexity brings more money, most often public money. The effectiveness of pyramid schemes comes down to the support of governmental institutions and their transparency. Pyramid schemes are controversial but often the holy grail of numerous EU projects and strategies.

rainbow_warrior
Photo: Dhemas Reviyanto / Greenpeace
I received backlash for my statement, which was taken out of context, as is often the case. Yet, they did not mention that I also noted certification systems have contributed immeasurably to empowering the public, particularly certificates that gained credibility due to transparent criteria. This year, we are entering an era when even the most credible certificates won’t help us much. Instead of balance and equilibrium, technofeudalism prefers extremities. Climate sceptics want to rule over the world. The only weapon in our arsenal to counter them is science. Event organisers must do their part, too, by measuring the effects of their events.

I will continue being an active citizen and investor in the Planet Positive Event movement. I am delighted that the community we have built is steadily growing. Our community currently comprises over sixty of us within the inner echelons of the movement. If we continue growing our network as fast as we have thus far, I predict our community will have 1000 members by the end of the year. I refuse to accept any standstill in sustainability. It is time regenerative event organisation becomes mainstream and not an accompanying activity or something that sounds catchy.

Whether nature survives with us depends on whether we can give up the luxuries of the modern world. That raises the question of what we need at events. To answer that question, we must leave our comfort zone and reset the meetings industry’s paradigm, which is currently based on endless growth. Unfortunately, planetary boundaries do not allow constant growth, as we are reminded by nature daily.

Actions should follow words! Now and for future generations!

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