Sustainability

Green is the colour of our conference. Not only because it makes up two thirds of the Rotterdam flag, but mainly because we want this to be the greenest and most sustainable conference in hearing up to date. The ESPCI is the largest conference on cochlear implants for children, but that also means it has a huge impact on the environment. The large number of international professionals flying to the conference emit an extraordinary amount of CO₂ into our atmosphere. We, as the executive committee of ESPCI 2023, recognize the burden imposed on our environment and are proud to take the first steps towards a more sustainable conference.

Our efforts in short:

• Raise awareness on green and sustainable healthcare throughout the entire conference by emphasising personal efforts
• Promotion of public transportation. Make use of our Eurostar discount offer!
• Free use of public transportation with the Rotterdam Welcome Card
• CO₂ compensation through tree planting
• Locally sourced catering
• Two inspiring green key-note speakers
• Multiple sessions on sustainable and green healthcare

Green context:

• Rotterdam, our host city, is taking sustainability very seriously
• The venue recently installed rooftop greenery and water retention system

Rotterdam is connected to Eurostar high speed train services. The city of Rotterdam is within 3 hours travelling time from London and Paris. A discount for the Eurostar has been arranged especially for ESPCI 2023 visitors. Within Rotterdam you can easily travel by several modes of public transportation, bicycle and on foot. In the city with the largest port in Europe, water transport is of course also an option. All visitors receive the Rotterdam Welcome card, which allows free use of public transport in the city.

Traveling by train with Eurostar
Would you like to travel to the conference on the Eurostar high-speed train? Then take advantage of our special discount!
– 10% off Standard tickets
– 15% off Standard Premier tickets

How to make use of this discount?
After registration for the congress, you will receive a link to an entry form and a unique code in the confirmation email. Fill in your personal details on the form together with the unique code and get access to the Eurostar discount environment. When you book through this environment, the above discounts are automatically applied to the relevant tickets.

Terms and Conditions
• Journeys can be booked for travel up to seven days before or after the conference
• Tickets are subject to availability on all routes
• Discounts are not valid on promotional fares

Measure your emissions here!

At our conference, we want to offset the impact of travel by replanting trees. Forests play a crucial role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing oxygen, among other benefits. One of the best ways to offset the effects of travel is by replanting trees, and that’s what we’re going to do with our conference. Crucial to our existence, forests absorb carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and produce, among other things, the oxygen we breathe. This year we are contributing €10 of each participant’s registration fee to plant trees in a special project to expand green areas in the city. This €10 may not fully offset the carbon emissions from your travel, but If you would like to further offset your carbon footprint, we recommend visiting Trees for All’s website to offset your air or car travel emissions: Offset your air travel – Trees for All or Offset your car emissions – Trees for All.

For the catering at the conference, we opt for sustainable locally produced food, reduce food waste, refrain from  using single-use plastics and we will provide refillable  bottles with tap water. We understand that some attendees may have a preference for meat-based meals. At ESPCI 2023, we have made the conscious decision to serve only vegetarian food in order to align with our conference’s values of sustainability and environmental responsibility. Here’s why:

1. Vegetarian food has a lower carbon footprint compared to meat production
2. Offers an opportunity to try new, delicious and healthy dishes
3. Supports a more sustainable food system for future generations
4. Reflects our commitment to reducing our impact on the environment.

We hope that attendees will join us in embracing this decision and the positive impact it has on our planet. We are confident that the quality and variety of our vegetarian options will impress even the most passionate meat lovers.

Green and sustainable will also be an important theme in our program. With our two green keynotes, we hope to inspire you to incorporate sustainable thinking into your daily clinical work. In the different sessions we will explore how hospital care can be made more sustainable, how remote wireless technologies can help reduce patient travels, and accessibility of CI care around the world.

Rotterdam focusses on sustainability under the umbrella of the Rotterdam Climate Initiative. The Port of Rotterdam and the City of Rotterdam, among others, work as partners to enhance the sustainability of the city, the Port and the industrial complex. Rotterdam also participates in the Clinton Climate Initiative, C40, 100 Resilient Cities and Connecting Delta Cities, and became home to the UN Global Center of Excellence on Climate Adaptation in 2018.

Local partners have signed agreements to achieve a pleasant, green and safe city. Venues and hotels strive for a Green Key certification, (a voluntary eco-label). They have a unique approach to food, using locally produced goods, and engage in programs to avoid food waste. Rotterdam Partners is committed to a sustainable approach to events, and is a member of the GDSI? since 2016.

The icon of Rotterdam’s reconstruction after WWII, the national monument De Doelen, is being radically preserved as part of the international 7 Square Endeavour project. The mission of this international preservation initiative is to make the environment ready for the future. The roof of the building is recently covered with an overwhelming 2,581m² of greenery. That is the size of 10(!) tennis courts. The water storage on the roof has a capacity of 2000 bathtubs (300m³). The roof can be visited during the conference.

The green and blue roof buffers water in crates under the vegetation, thus contributing to the prevention of flooding. The stored water feeds the plants and, with the greenery, contributes to cooling the building. The entire roof combats heat stress and thus contributes to greening the city, purifying the air and storing CO2. The lushly designed green roof landscape is designed in a geometric pattern that matches the orthogonal layout of the Concert hall.

De Doelen actively tries to limit the environmental impact as a result of their business activities. With the renovation of their concert hall for example many energy-saving facilities were installed. However, awareness of the environment is a continuous process and includes the entire business; from waste separation to office paper.