WELCOME TO JOBURG - ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREENEST CITIES - AND HOME TO MEETINGS AFRICA

“Sustainability and event greening remain top of mind in the business tourism industry worldwide; while many of our industry partners in Johannesburg have far reaching and impressive sustainable practices in place, as South Africa’s most vibrant city – and home to Meetings Africa -  the City is proud of its green credentials,” says Phelisa Mangcu, Acting CEO of the Johannesburg Tourism Company (JTC).
The 10 million trees that keep Johannesburg green, shady and attractive also help to clean the air of carbon monoxide emissions from cars and trucks, industrial gases and dust from  mine dumps. Added to this are the 17 nature reserves and 12 river systems running throughout Joburg, making it ideal for outdoor sport and leisure activities throughout the year.
“Apart from boasting the world’s largest, urban, man-made forest, it is significant that Johannesburg  is also the  only South African city that is part of the C40 Large Cities Climate Leadership Group,” says Mangcu. 
The C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) is a network of large and engaged cities from around the world committed to implementing meaningful and sustainable climate-related actions locally that will help address climate change globally. Created in 2005 by Former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, the  organization’s global field staff works with city governments, supported by their technical experts across a range of programme areas.
In 2006 the C40  forged a partnership with the Cities program of President Clinton’s Climate Initiative (CCI) to reduce carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency in large cities across the world.  Under the leadership of then Mayor of Toronto David Miller, who served after Mayor Livingstone as C40 Chair, the organization advanced programmess and partnerships that drew international recognition for the role of cities as leaders in climate action. C40 was further strengthened in 2011 via a grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the full integration of the CCI Cities Program.  The current chair of the C40 is New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who – with the support the C40 executive leadership team --  guides the work of the C40, along with the members of the C40 Steering Committee.

JOBURG & THE AFRICAN GREEN CITIES INDEX

Its vast size and increasing rate of growth and development notwithstanding, Joburg ranks impressively in the African Green Cities Index,  released by Siemens in November 2011. Johannesburg ranks above average overall, along with five other cities. It is particularly strong in energy and CO2, land use, transport, air quality and environmental governance, ranking above average in each category.

The city’s environmental performance is bolstered by having the second highest amount of green space among the 15 Index cities and an extensive bus network, as well as generally robust environmental policies, especially for clean energy and congestion reduction. The city’s performance is very consistent – it never falls below average in any individual category, achieving above average rankings in water, waste and sanitation.

THE EVENT GREENING FORUM
Established in 2011, the Event Greening Forum (EGF) was established through the dedication and support of eight national industry associations, who are recognized as founding members.  The EGF plays a leading role in promoting and embracing sustainable and ethical business practices in the events industry in South Africa, focusing  on meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions and events.  
Event Greening practices are taken seriously and are widespread among MICE industry players in Joburg.  While all establishments have greening initiatives in place, the majority are active members of the Heritage certification programme, which provides an environmental rating and assists with implementing systems to improve upon the rating.
Some of the green conference options offered by leading conferencing facilities include: 

• Food and Water – use of  locally produced food (that includes seasonal and sustainable ingredients), encouraging drinking of tap water provided in jugs (rather than bottled water) and providing refillable bottles;
• Energy efficiency  (including the utilisation of green power – solar energy), dimming lights and switching off air conditioners during tea breaks);
• Public Transport / Walk ability / Bicycles - to reduce emissions;
• Waste management and recycling and

Tree planting and greening to offset carbon emissions.