Sustainability

Congresses that are organised by Tampere University promote sustainable development and global responsibility in a number of ways.

Tampere University’s City Centre Campus is located conveniently within walking distance from the railway and bus stations, most hotels and social event venues. The university’s other campuses are easily reached by public transportation.
We usually organise congress activities in central locations, which eliminates the need for arranged participant transportation.
We offer different options to participate online.
Pre-registration is required to minimise food waste at congresses.
We prioritise vegetarian or vegan menus and locally produced catering options.

We do not request for disposable tableware and dishes for catering.
As Finnish tap water is clean and safe to drink, we do not use or distribute bottled water.
We keep all congress materials to minimum and distribute giveaways (pens, notepads and the like) only to those who need them.
We reuse name-badge holders and provide a drop-off point for them.
We avoid using any decorations that create unnecessary waste.
Recycling is done efficiently at Tampere University campuses and it is also made clear to visitors.

At the university campuses, accessibility is ensured by various means (e.g. ramps, elevators, automatic doors, accessible toilets, induction loops).
When outside the university facilities, we favour accessible venues.
When travel arrangements are needed, we opt for the most effortless flight connections.
We ensure that all communication and information is accessible for the congress delegates (e.g. congress website, registration form, signs at the venue).
We favour local suppliers and partners (hotels, venues, catering operators) that have obtained a certificate in sustainability.
We support multidisciplinary encounters and diversity perspectives (e.g. ecumenical chapel, gender-neutral toilets, availability of nursing room).

We take measures to ensure health security (hygiene, thorough cleaning of facilities, following eventual restrictions) according to the global health situation.
We promote social responsibility e.g. by appointing university students as congress assistants.
When possible, we use several price categories to make congresses accessible even for participants with lower economical status. Similarly, we give participants with higher economical status the possibility to support the congress.
When possible, we encourage congresses to organise open access lectures and to make virtual events available for a larger audience.

Reducing the carbon footprint