Esctoday.com, in collaboration with Malmö Turism, invites you to discover Malmö and experience the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest. Today we we will have a look at Malmö’s Greem Room.

Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö – Europe’s Green Room

After two weeks of glittering festivities in Malmö, the 100 000 visitors from all over the world will return home with a pleasant feeling of satisfaction – surprised and impressed by a lot more than the music competition that is the Eurovision Song Contest. This is the modest wish of Susanna Winblad and all her colleagues at the City of Malmö.

Susanna is a project manager in the City of Malmö and sustainability questions are very close to her heart. She is responsible for making the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö a sustainable event. Basically, this means that efforts will be made to make the ESC a green, safe and welcoming festival for everyone, the citizens of Malmö as well as the visitors and the city itself.

Everyone to chip in
It is the ardent wish of Susanna and her colleagues that the visitors to the Eurovision Song Contest themselves will get caught up in the ‘green’ way of thinking that characterises Malmö. So that’s why, when Europe gathers in Malmö for two weeks of intense musical festivities, they are welcomed to “Europe’s Green Room” and encouraged to drink the high quality tap water instead of bottled water, and use the public transportation system when getting to and from the arena and other activities around the city. Our visitors are also encouraged to minimize their waste and to discover the supply of ecological and locally produced products in Malmö. Every little helps!

Big events like Eurovision Song Contest leave marks on the environment and affect a lot of people. To make the ESC an as positive experience as possible for everyone, Susanna Winblad is responsible for certifying the event according to the standard ISO 20121. The standard is international and customized for sustainable events, and was first used during the Olympic games in London in 2012.

A positive example
Susanna Winblad lives and breathes sustainability. She has been involved in the environmental readjustment of the yearly city festival in Malmö, Malmöfestivalen. The city festival in August is now an award-winning, sustainable festival and lessons learned from the persistent work have been useful in the ESC planning process.

To her, events are the perfect platform for an organization to challenge itself, and to share its environmental commitment with the public. Her hope is that ESC will set a positive example, so that when the event is over, visitors as well as citizens of Malmö will be inspired to a more sustainable lifestyle.

–          We work to raise the awareness about sustainability and environmental questions, and sustainability and ethical aspects are important for food and beverages as well as for transports, waste and energy. Suppliers and cooperation partners are obliged to follow our sustainability policy in all public events arranged by the City of Malmö and Region Skåne, she says.

In the Malmö city center, visitors will find a staffed station where they can get help sorting their garbage. In cooperation with the regional provider of public transport a special ESC ticket is developed for bus and train rides, in order to facilitate for visitors to access the arena by train or bus. Also, tap water stations are set up around the city, with the invitation to fill up a bottle instead of buying a new one.

Please try to help wherever you can, and enjoy Malmö – Europe’s Green Room!