Towards a Green Conference - SUMMARY OF BEST PRACTICES Conference participants Participants register electronically.

cally. Visa applications/visa invitation letters are sent electronically (scanned copies) to the relevant embassy as well as to the NS. Only electronic tickets are provided to participants. The conference venue is within walking distance of most hotels accommodating participants and/or easily accessible by public transport. The Geneva authorities offer free of charge public transport passes to Geneva hotel guests. To minimize transportation costs, conference equipment is rented locally (Computers, mobile phones, etc).

On site registration On site registration is done through a computerized system to avoid unnecessary paper flow. File folders are reusable. Badge cases are reusable and can be either returned or kept by participants for re-use. Document distribution and paper management Official meeting documents are sent to participants in a digital format. Additional, mailing and circulation lists are regularly checked and updated to avoid unnecessary paper mailings. Only one set of official documents is provided per delegation and/or upon request. All photocopying is double sided. Announcements are made on monitors at the Conference centre. Name plates are reusable. All documents are posted on the www.rcrcconference.org website. Daily Bulletins will be on video to include interviews and round-ups of the meetings, workshops and side events. Distribution of brochures, publications and handouts that are not working documents are provided upon request and not distributed pro-actively.. Production of workshop and side events documents will be monitored. The conference organisers engage suppliers/printers who follow environmental friendly standards. Hotels In order to make your stay comfortable block bookings have been made in 17 hotels with established green practises. We are pleased to see that all hotels and their staff have committed to sustainable development and apply them in their daily work. Examples:

Attention is paid to refuse; adequate recycling practices are put in place for different waste categories. Energy awareness is treated as a priority. Water, electricity and fuel consumption are monitored and adequate measures are in place to reduce the consumption of different kinds of energy. Housekeeping techniques indicate that hotels are optimising the use of appliances (air conditioning, heating etc), and of cleaning products, amenity dispensers are in place, towel and linen re use programmes are in place. . Staff is trained to follow the commitment to sustainable development. Guests are encouraged to take public transport (the city of Geneva is supplying all its hotels with a free bus pass for each guest for the duration of their stay). Guests are also encouraged to recycle, and information on greening practices is made available to guests. Some hotels use local food product and plant their own herbs.

Transport During their stay, meeting participants are encouraged to make use of the public transportation. The conference venue is easily accessible by public transport and/or within walking distance from most of the hotels. Upon arrival at the Geneva Airport there is a public transportation ticket machine that provides a free ticket for those who wish to use the public transport to their hotel. Some hotels have a free shuttle service, buses leave from designated areas in front of the airports arrivals area. A welcome desk at the airport will guide meeting participants. Conference venue The Geneva International Conference Centre (CICG) aims to play a leading role in the pragmatic management of its administrative buildings and conference centres, which include environmentally friendly concerns and the target of durable development. It seeks to optimize the energy consumption and waste disposal with its staff contributing to the policy and applying its principles and initiating new measures to avoid waste. In order to achieve this, the CICG has chosen four core areas it is focussing on: refuse, energy, water and architectural environment and has made to this end adequate technological choices. 1. Refuse: The CICG collects and sorts refuse into categories by using waste containers for each type (paper, PET, cardboard, batteries, iron, copper, wood, fats and oils, solvents, neon tubes and other light bulbs, electronic parts, etc). Sorted materials are being removed and recycling or destruction is carried out in specialised centres under environmental-friendly conditions. Waste containers are placed in the buildings to encourage guests and staff to follow recycling initiatives. Cleaning sub-contractors use cleaning products of a low risk of pollution. 2. Energy Low consumption lighting elements are used as well as security detectors and timer switchers in areas which do not require permanent lighting (ex. washrooms, offices and public zones). Staff and visitors are encouraged to switch off machines rather than leaving them on a standby position, to minimise the grey energy. Gas is used for heating and new buildings are equipped with geo-thermic systems. Oilfired boilers are replaced by gas-fired systems.

The insulation of equipment and pipes is being consolidated to avoid energy loss. All equipment is being monitored and maintained to guarantee efficient use and optimal production without excessive waste or toxic gas production (greenhouse gases). The air conditioning systems use regulating valves, which guarantee regular, constant temperatures with minimal variation based on the outside temperature. Energy is being recuperated, surrounding air being recycled and the air quality constantly monitored. The insulation of the building is being consolidated aiming to improve thermal protection to avoid both overheating and energy loss.

3. Water Flushing devices in toilets block manually rather than automatically and there is a choice of rate of flow (single or double action). Monitoring and operating systems, which are efficient in containing water consumption are used for outside watering of lawns and gardens.

4. Architectural environment When embarking on new construction or renovation projects the CICG tries to take environmental issues and durable development into account. It pays special attention to the design by focussing on simple layouts, closely adjusted to real needs as well as taking into account the urban environment. It seeks efficient working methods for construction, renovation and servicing of buildings and relies on trusted business partners. It chooses materials, which are best adapted to their use and are durable and the production and maintenance of which are environmentally friendly. The CICG has garden areas within the buildings as well as outside them and tries to include plants, trees or flowers adapted to the local environment and climate. 5. Other: Meeting rooms are equipped with overhead projectors and beamers for projections from laptops rather than flip-charts. Electronic boards are available to indicate where meetings take place and also disseminate other information. The CICG is accessible for disabled people. The CICG restaurant selects food from sustainable sources and is partnering with Green globe.

Well-being of conference participants As the Red Cross Red Crescent we care for the well being of our members and participants while attending our meetings. Whilst ensuring that meetings run in a professional and smooth manner, we do our utmost to provide also a pleasant environment, such as: By acknowledging and respecting the diversity and multi cultural wealth of our participants, staff is expected to treat participants with respect and vice versa. By providing spaces to relax, such as a terrace, cafeteria, a small garden, sofas and armchairs, an exhibition area, in the conference venue. By designating a prayer area in the conference venue. CALL FOR ACTION TO STAFF AND PARTICIPANTS All staff and support personnel as well as meeting participants are kindly requested to:

Respect the green house rules in hotels. Use public transportation as much as possible. Respect the recycling systems in place at the conference venue. Turn off desk/room lights when leaving the room (staff). Turn off computers at the end of the day. Print as little as possible. Maximize paper use by setting smaller margins and use both sides of the sheet.