The Eurovision Song Contest is coming closer and the host city is already preparing to receive the fans and artists in order to be at its best. As informed by the site wien.orf.at, flowers and hearts will populate the parks of the capital of Austria. This should match with the spirit of the 60th Eurovision Song Contest: music, love, and a green event.

Vienna’s quality as the host city is hard to match. Still, the Austrian Capital is making a big effort to build up the perfect backdrop for the Eurovision Song Contest, as informed by wien.orf.at. The 60th edition is designed as an environmentally friendly (eco-) event. And it was the Environment Councillor of Vienna’s local government, Ms. Ulli Sima, who presented the decoration that the Austrian Capital will sport in the coming days. 150 life-size metal figures depicting singers were distributed in the parks of the city.

The singers have a peculiar feature: they are holding poles that on the upper end have microphones shaped as the Eurovision trophy, and on the lower end have shovels. Music and care for the earth are so combined in an amusing manner. These figures are to make a great picture for tourists and the people of Vienna. As Ms. Sima said, we want to spread the Song Contest mood to the cityscape.

The Vienna parks will also be decorated with 10000 red and white heart-shaped signs that will proclaim that “12 points go to… Vienna Parks”. The hearts will be placed in the parks flowerbeds.

The ecological standards of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest have earned it a Green Event certification. One of the actions that make this Contest an Ecoevent is the prevention of waste generation and the preservation of resources. Among other things, disposable tableware will be avoided. This is why 50000 specially branded reusable cups are planned for distribution during the Eurovision Song Contest. Since regular dishes and glasses cannot be used for safety reasons, other sustainable materials will be put in place. The company Cup Solutions will supply this eco-friendly ware.

Further to this environmentally-friendly organization, the General Director of the Austrian broadcaster ORF, Mr. Alexander Wrabetz, explained:

We want to express a very special attitude with the Song Contest in Vienna. Part of this is to be as ecological as possible.

Vienna usually runs on green energy. In line with this policy, the electricity that will make the Eurovision Song Contest possible will be provided by sustainable sources like hydropower. Also, the visitors can help protect the environment by using public transportation with just their Eurovision ticket and by staying at the hotels recommended by the Vienna Local Government, which have been awarded with an Ecolabel.

Vienna is calling. And its calling out, too, for our planet. Are you ready…?

Keep checking ESCToday.com for more news on Vienna, Austria and the Eurovision Song Contest.