International Young Naturefriends (IYNF) would like to engage in cooperation with other European youth NGOs, International Youth NGOs and National Youth Councils, to present open letters to European Youth Foundation, European Youth Centre Budapest, European Youth Centre Strasbourg and European Youth Forum in order to request the aforementioned institutions to involve more environmentally friendly, sustainable and respectful practices in the venues they are operating and during their activities.
Sustainability should be on the agenda for all us. Above all, these institutions can become empowering role models that help bring sustainability into reality as they hold underutilized power to inspire individuals and organizations. Moreover, since those institutions organize many medium and large scale activities all year round, the negative environmental and social impact they have is pretty large and even small positive changes in their practices can bring sizable environmental and social benefits.
That is why we would like to ask you to cooperate with us in the following ways
1. By providing us with environmental and social practice „shortcomings“ which you have observed in the work of the following institutions:
a. European Youth Forum (YFJ)
b. European Youth Centre Budapest (EYCB)
c. European Youth Centre Strasbourg (EYCS)
d. European Youth Foundation (EYF)
As well as reccommendations that you have for these instituions, for their more sustainable operations. Below, you can find a list of recommendations which International Young Naturefriends have produced after our recent visit in the EYC Budapest, for your inspiration.
IYNF has also prepared a manual to sustainable organizational management, The Green Toolbox – freely available for download at http://greentoolbox.org, which you can browse through and compare it with the practices you have observed while visiting these institutions.
We are happy to receive responses in any form that is convenient for you:
a. Through a google form
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1kcoGnBpvS-qwypeqqgk1ktGddwLZIR5AjFtb1KEdfxY/viewform
b. By filling in the Word document:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/43652459/Sustainability%20tips%20for%20YFJ%20and%20EYCs.docx
c. By sending an e-mail to ewa@iynf.org providing any sustainability tips, you might have for YFJ, EYF, EYCB or EYCS
d. By calling +420 234 621 573
The deadline for that is 1st of October
2. By supporting the letters on behalf of your organization
Example: Sustainability recommendations for European Youth Centre Budapest
1. Food choices
a. The food should not be sourced from companies known for their poor environmental record, questionable labor practices, questionable marketing strategies, engagement in monopolistic business practices and, last but not least, possible bad health effects (Coca-Cola, Nestle, Unilever).
Instead, the centre could benefit from using local products – supporting the local economy and Hungarian farmers, and using more fair-trade and organic products
b. It is a respectful practice to provide healthy, nutritous and tasty food options for environmentally-concious participants, vegans, vegetarians and people suffering from food allergies (gluten and others). This should include the snacks offered during coffee breaks and sessions. The centre could also benefit from displaying brochures about environmentally friendly food choices.
c. Tap water should be provided by default during the activities and ordering bottled water by session organizers should be discouraged.
d. The “take-away” food – such as the packed lunches – does not need to be packed in vast amounts of plastic. Less packaging – and more environmentally friendly packaging materials – could be used without reducing the comfort of the final users.
e. Some food items in the canteen were packed into single small packages (jam, honey, butter) – while they could be more sustainably and environmentally friendly offered in bigger containers.
2. Energy and heating
a. It was pointed out by most participants of the activities in EYCB that the building was overheated. Not only the heating was set to maximum by default – also the employees of cleaning services were turning up the heating whenever the rooms were vacated. The centres could save both money and energy by introducing a reasonable and environmentally friendly policy of using the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) devices.
b. The centres could research possibility of sourcing their energy from renewable sources, an option which is possible in many big European cities.
3. Activities
a. eco-stationery (such as vegetable ink, degradable and refillable bio markers) should be provided during the activities
b. Only recycled paper, with high level of post-consumer content should be used during the activies
4. Waste management
a. More containers can be used for sorting waste. In particular, the participants of activities pointed out the lack of aluminium containers and containers for bio-waste.
The bio-waste could be composted on-site or collected by municipality which usually offers such services.
5. Cleaning and detergents
a. Ecological cleaning supplies could be used to clean the centres without effecting lasting damage on environment.
b. Similarly, bio and ecological soaps and shampoos could be provided in the toilets and bathrooms.
c. Only recycled toilet paper should be used in the centres and during the activities.