At the Royal College of Surgeons of England we recognise our responsibility to promote health and wellbeing not only through surgery, but also through the way we operate as an organisation. At the Future of Surgery Festival, we are committed to reducing our environmental footprint and maximising our social impact through thoughtful, responsible event planning.
We understand that events can have a significant environmental impact. That’s why we’ve partnered with Wonderly and chosen ICC Birmingham as our venue, both of whom share our values and support our goal of delivering a sustainable and socially conscious experience.
From initial planning to final execution, we are embedding practices that support long-term environmental stewardship and community wellbeing. We invite all attendees, sponsors and partners to join us in these efforts and help us leave a lasting, positive legacy.
You can also find out more about RCS England’s commitment to sustainability in surgery on our website and explore the Intercollegiate Green Theatre Checklist.
For more information or to get involved, please contact us at rcseng@wonderly.agency.
Sustainability at RCS England Future of Surgery Festival
ISO accreditation
ICC Birmingham hold the ISO 14001:2004 accreditation for environmental management systems, and have rolled out several initiatives across the business to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.
CHP generator
A district-based scheme installed on site at the ICC to provide electricity, chilled water for air-conditioning and hot water for heating. In addition to reducing carbon footprint, the scheme also enables the ICC to sell carbon credits – the ultimate sustainability win-win.
Energy consumption
Energy-saving sensors are fitted throughout the venue, and use reduced-energy LED lighting wherever possible. The ICC monitored switch-off procedure also ensures that energy use is minimal in event spaces and offices, and that all equipment and lights are switched off when not in use.
Waste management
ICC Birmingham have always been supporters of the 'reduce, reuse and recycle' mantra in terms of waste management. The ICC separate and recycle glass, cardboard and paper waste, and incinerate all other waste to create electricity for local homes and businesses through Birmingham City Council’s Waste to Energy scheme. The resulting ash from this process is also stored and used as aggregate for road building.
Initiatives
The ICC may be based in the city centre but are still avid wildlife lovers. It’s why in 2007 the ICC turned one of the ICC’s roof areas into an eco-friendly environment to increase insulation, enhance the landscape and most importantly attract urban species. It wasn’t long before the roof became a safe haven for the rare black redstart bird, whose continuing presence in the city was at the time precarious. You’ll also find a couple of bee hotels at the ICC, specifically installed to encourage Mason Bees to hold their own conferences in the area.
Carbon neutral event
The ICC work closely with event organisers to achieve ‘carbon neutral’ status for their events. This is achieved by paying particular attention to the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ mantra and helping organisers put this into practice.
Some of the things RCS England and Wonderly do
- We are working with the venue and all of our suppliers to reduce the environmental impact and increase the positive social and economic contribution of this event. Here are some of the things we are doing:
- Our chosen venue, ICC Birmingham, is easily accessible by public transport.
- Our procurement process requires our suppliers to demonstrate the steps they are taking to make their own operations sustainable.
- Conference delegate badges are made of paper (FSC certified), and no plastic badge wallets are used. Our lanyards are made from recycled plastic water bottles.
- We are working with sponsors and exhibitors to minimise materials they dispose of whilst at the conference. We ensure that any paper used at the event is made from recycled materials and it is recycled or reused at the end of the event.
- We have reduced the amount of printed materials we provide attendees by switching to digital.
Some of the things you can do, as a visitor
- The venue is located in the city centre, and all hotels and social venues are located within walking distance of each other. Walk and explore the city, and use public transportation or the city bikes instead of taking taxis.
- If you can’t avoid flying, please note that excellent bus shuttles are running from the airport to the city centre.
- Calculate your carbon footprint using the WWF environmental footprint calculator. Whether you’re able to attend or not, it’s a great tool for tracking your impact on the planet and learning about what changes you can make to limit it.
- Please deposit your lanyard and badge in the reuse boxes provided at conference registration.
- Please follow the waste separation instructions at the venue.
- There will be water fountains at key points. Please bring a reusable water bottle with you.
- Be thoughtful about all conference-related printing that you do, and aim to reduce this where possible.
- Pens and paper will not be provided to delegates to encourage the re-use of both paper and pens.
