9^th European Public Health (EPH) conference, [updated link:] https://ephconference.eu/conference-2016-vienna-48.

Workshop 7.A, organized by EUPHA sections Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Environment-related Diseases; chairs: Rainer Fehr – Germany, Dineke Zeegers Paget – EUPHA. Abstract (Workshop & presentations): https://eupha.org/repository/sections/HIA/2016_HIA_ENV_7A.pdf.

Presentations:

• “Greening” conferences – Experiences from the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology (ISEE). N Kuenzli, MS Ragettli, M Röösli (U Basel, CH), Presentation: PDF
• Guideline for a sustainable organization of events – Theory and practice. HH Eggers, D Huth, K Stechemesser, M Tobollik (Federal Environmental Agency / Umweltbundesamt, DE)
• Footprint reduction: What can we learn from related initiatives within, e.g., the United Nations, World Health Organization, European Commission, and European Environment Agency? R Fehr, P van den Hazel, P Martin-Olmedo, M Martuzzi, O Mekel, G Morris (U Bielefeld and other institutions), Presentation: PDF
  

From the workshop abstract:

“To strive for sustainability is recognized as a prerequisite for improving people’s health and their environment in the 21st century. At the EPH 2015 conference in Milano, the issue received prominent attention; topics included the anthropocene, human impacts on global processes and systems, and the planetary boundaries consistent with human health and survival. … … Areas of concern include: mode of travel (especially by air); conference venue and accommodations; flow of energy and materials; food consumption; waste avoidance and disposal; physical activity; and equity, e.g. (financial) barriers to conference attendance. While previous conferences have not been oblivious to these issues, more should be done. … … success for EUPHA in this venture could provide a template for adoption by other, e.g. national, professional associations. In addition, the ‘‘greening’’ of EPH conferences can stimulate and encourage both individuals and institutions to move along similar pathways.”

Key messages:

• For an ambitious association like EUPHA, concern for the impacts of our own activities features amongst our core values; this ought to be reflected in the arrangements for our annual conferences
• Building on existing examples, EUPHA is challenged to prove that it has the profile and capacity to create positive example.