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SUSTAINABILITY AT THE OCEAN RACE STOPOVER IN AARHUS September 2020 edition. AMBITION THE STOPOVER IN AARHUS AIMS TO BE THE GREENEST AND MOST SUSTAINABLE STOPOVER IN THE 2022/2023 EDITION OF THE RACE The sustainable profile will be a predominant element of the coming edition of The Ocean Race. Hence, sustain- ability will be a central theme running like a red thread through the Stopover in Aarhus in 2023. With this focus on sustainability, common to all the boats is that during the full 9 months of the race, they will focus the world’s attention on issues of sustainability and climate change mitigation, and this focus must be leveraged in Aarhus in relation to both visitors, participants, and the business community. Supported by The Ocean Races’ specialised sustainability team, experienced local and regional players, and national partners, Aarhus Events will head the overall planning of the event and the development of a completely natural sustainability focus which builds on the initiatives of the 2018 Sailing World Championships and The Tall Ships Races 2019. The initiatives will have both an international/strategic and a local/tangible dimension and will be closely linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. During the Aarhus Stopover, the focus on sustainability will address a number of different aspects. As a com- pletely natural feature, the principle of Fundamental Sustainability will be a recurring element throughout the event area, evident in a variety of solutions and initiatives such as waste separation, organics, renewable energy, focus on plastic, and much more. During the event, participants, visitors, citizens, etc., can experience sustainable solutions on Sustainability Island, where innovative exhibitors and entrepreneurs will showcase their solutions towards a more sustainable world. These solutions will also be demonstrated to the visitors in the form of involving case presentations. Sustainability Island will be a space of involvement and experiences. Next, at the Aarhus Sustainability Summit, the focus will move to knowledge sharing between experts and pro- fessionals. The Aarhus Sustainability Summit will consist of the following components: An ’Ocean Race Summit’ officially hosted by The Ocean Race A ’Business Summit’ which builds on the outcomes of the Ocean Race Summit A ’General Public Summit’ to turn Sustainable Development Goals into ‘Everyday Goals’ A ’Youth Summit’ Aarhus – giving young people a voice of their own In partnership with The Ocean Race, a number of Study tracks will be developed for students in primary and sec- ondary education for use as part of their learning activities in the 2022/23 school year. The sustainable efforts must unfold via the interaction of a large number of public and private partners across different industries. FUNDAMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY Here, the starting point will be the ’Stopover guide’ developed by The Ocean Race organisation. As a minimum, we intend to meet the objectives laid down in the guide, and wherever possible, we want to set our own, more ambi- tious objectives, matching the green objectives of Aarhus, the Central Denmark Region, and Denmark as a whole. The initiatives in Aarhus are rooted in the ’Aarhus Sustainability Model’ which was developed in connection with the appointment of Aarhus as European Capital of Culture in 2017, and which was later further refined. Even at this early stage of planning, Aarhus is a host city from which other international host cities seek support and guid- ance, and this status should be further enhanced. All initiatives are developed partly for the obvious purpose of doing the right thing as a city, region, and nation, and partly to show other Stopover cities how the mission could be accomplished. Therefore, the entire sustain- ability programme will be 100% transparent and open to the general public. After the visit, we are also planning to publish a report to point out which of the objectives were met and which were potentially not. We will endeavour to ensure: • that up to 80% of all waste is separated and sent for recycling • that visitors use sustainable means of transport to/from the event • that clean tap water is always available from Danish taps • that consumption of single-use plastics is minimised, which is also a component of the Plastics strategy for the Municipality of Aarhus • that sustainability is prioritised in all requests for quotes and bids • that sustainability and green initiatives are prioritised in the catering supply (vegetarian/organic/local, etc.) CHANGES OF BEHAVIOUR A central element of the sustainability programme will be to communicate the initiatives already in place, which are fundamental to the Danish infrastructure, and not least how to maintain them – such as bicycle culture, clean tap water, efficient sewer systems and water treatment plants, etc. – because of the international scope and range of the event – See also the notes on Sustainability Island. All visitors will bring home sustainability stories, which may inspire a more sustainable lifestyle, just as we will be telling about the things that we often take for granted in Denmark, such as: - our efficient sewer systems and how consumers can help make them even better - our access to clean water right out of Danish taps, and how consumers can help ensure that we will also have that in the future - our excellent bicycle culture, and how to push for further development in this field. SUSTAINABILITY ISLAND For The Ocean Race Stopover Aarhus, a physical urban space will be developed and built on Pier 2 – known under the working title of Sustainability Island. Sustainability Island is the spot where all the sustainable initiatives meet. Here, participants, visitors, summit attendees, etc., can experience sustainable solutions in the form of a space of involvement and experiences. Within this space, innovative exhibitors, entrepreneurs, students, businesses, partners, etc., will showcase their solutions towards a more sustainable world. We intend to present sustainable solutions in a way to make sure that they make sense to the visitors. This is where you can learn how to turn UN Sustainable Development Goals into Everyday Goals. The solutions will also be demonstrated to the visitors in the form of involving case presentations. Visitors will be able to experience experts from the knowledge institutions in Aarhus and around the region who present inspir- ing examples of the latest research in sustainable solutions. It is important to emphasise that Sustainability Island will not be a fragmented appendage to the venue, but rather a natural extension of it. Visitors can also meet specialists from businesses, NGOs, foundations and research institutions, as they demon- strate inspirational examples of the latest advances in sustainable solutions. Regional, national and, indeed, inter- national partners and participants will be more than welcome to contribute. The business community must be engaged on Sustainability Island as well, and as the host city, Aarhus will work strategically to determine which focus areas to prioritise in order to ensure that the contents match the desired target audiences. Similarly, there will be activities addressing the general public and casual visitors. This could for instance be exper- imenting, interactive knowledge activities for both children and adults. The sustainable efforts must unfold via the interaction of a large number of public and private partners across different industries. AARHUS SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT As part of the long-term perspective of sustainability and climate change mitigation, we wish to focus attention on knowledge sharing between experts and professionals during the ”Aarhus Sustainability Summit” (working title). The Aarhus Sustainability Summit is a series of knowledge sharing and knowledge building initiatives aimed at different target audiences. They all take place during the event. The Aarhus Sustainability Summit will consist of the following components: AARHUS SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT OCEAN RACE SUMMIT BUSINESS SUMMIT GENERAL PUBLIC YOUTH SUMMIT SUMMIT All participants will feel that the summit “walks the talk” in terms of sustainability and climate change mitigation. Participants and visitors will be expected to separate their waste, go to the event by bicycle or light railway, have the option to choose organic, locally produced vegan/vegetarian food, taste seaweed dishes or otherwise engage themselves in the sustainable experience. AN OFFICIAL ’OCEAN RACE SUMMIT’ HOSTED BY THE OCEAN RACE A total of 10 official Ocean Race Summits will be held in connection with The Ocean Race 2022/2023. Aarhus has presented its candidacy to host one of these Summits. The first three Ocean Summits have been held/are planned to be held virtually from the host cities of Genoa (Italy), The Hague (Netherlands), and Newport (USA), respectively. It is currently expected that an Ocean Summit will be held physically in Aarhus, attended by 150 international top leaders from the field of sustainability and climate change mitigation. The planning of an Ocean Summit takes place in close dialogue between the host city and The Ocean Race organisation. You can read more about the Ocean Race Summits here www.theoceanracesummits.com A ’BUSINESS SUMMIT’ WHICH BUILDS ON THE OUTCOMES OF THE OCEAN RACE SUMMIT To further strengthen the focus on sustainable business opportunities, plans are underway for several initiatives specifically aimed at the business community. Thus, there will be specific events