Tartu 2024 Foundation, in cooperation with Acento, created an environmental strategy, which aims to place the environmental activites of the European Capital of Culture into the wider global and European context and to identify the most important environmental aspects in Estonia based on the example of Tartu and Southern Estonia.
The strategy is supported by the Guidelines for Organising Environmentally Friendly Events, which are followed by all events included in the main programme of Tartu 2024.
In order to leave a lasting positive environmental impact, Tartu 2024 Foundation involved the Tartu City Government’s Culture Department and the Environment Department, the Tartu County Development Association and the cultural managers in the City of Tartu in the drafting of the strategy. Already from the summer 2021 , the City of Tartu abided by the Guidelines for Organising Environmentally Friendly Events when organising the Car-Free Avenue. This means that the organisers will take into account requirements in seven categories: materials and purchases, catering and water use, waste management, transportation, energy and resource efficiency, taking into account the environment and community and communication.
Tartu 2024 strives towards five large goals, which we believe can be reached and we encourage Tartu and Southern Estonian cultural managers to contribute to reaching the goals in cooperation with us:
- By 2025, a cultural management equipment pool (affordable services) will be created in the local authorities involved in the Tartu 2024 project which is rented to and shared with each other (decorations, waste container frames, tableware, etc.), and which allows the organisation of public and cultural events without the use of single-use solutions (a specific numerical target will be confirmed in 2022).
- By 2025, environmentally friendly food will be provided and redistribution of surplus food from events has become the standard. Environmentally friendly food is local (Southern Estonia), organic and has vegan options.
- By 2025, separate waste collection has become the standard for events.
- By 2025, communicating environmentally friendly transport information will have become the standard. 90% of events inform their potential audience about environmentally friendly modes of transportation.
- By 2025, event organisers will be more aware of which energy solution is used at their events.