Sustainable development: an essential perspective
OUR COMMITMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Since the environment is a topic often mentioned by the Dalai Lama, the organizers wish to honour his visit by taking special care to this aspect.
A contribution of 1.- CHF is added to the price of each ticket in order to finance the organisational efforts toward the respect of the environment and to compensate the CO2 emissions during the event.
We will try to reduce, as much as possible, the environmental impact this event could have by encouraging the following principles:

	To increase public awareness on the importance of behaving in a « greener » way We wish to encourage the public of the event to adopt simple ecological behaviours (for example encourage the use of public transports, re-use cups, sort waste by using the appropriate containers).
	To favour local partnership (reduce transports) Our politic is to collaborate with nearby partners (such as technical partners for the sound, the video, the decoration, the catering etc…) in order compensate the CO2 emissions by transporting the material on long distances.
	Vegetarian food His Holiness the Dalai Lama vividly emphasizes on the importance to renounce eating meat as much as possible. Thus, the food served during the event will be vegetarian. Except for the respect of animals and the wish not to kill, the main environmental argument is that, on a global scale, the breeding sector contributes to 18% of the greenhouse effect gaz emission.
	Compensation of the CO2 emissions The carbon emissions produced during the event (including international transports) will be compensate by buying myclimate labelled certificates for emission reduction (www.myclimate.ch), a certified foundation which directly supports reducing CO2 emission projects.
	To maximize the use of biodegradable and recycled materials • We would like to serve food and beverages to people in biodegradable or in consigned materials (cups, plates, knifes and forks). • Moreover, we would like that all artisanal materials, books, etc., which will be sold during the event, will be taken in biodegradable or consigned bags. We will promote as more as we can people to take their purchases in their own bags. • The organisational comity commits itself to use as much as possible e-mails to announce and organize this event. Advertising and written letters will be sent on recycled or labellized: « respectful of the sustainable development (FSC, BlaueEngel, etc.) » papers. • The produced, distributed, offered, or sold materials will be made, as much as possible, out of recycled, biodegradable or natural support.
	To encourage the sorting of waste We will set up differential structures with descriptive panels, inciting the public to sort their waste. Sorting containers will be placed in the enclosure or nearby the hall. A team of volunteers will complete the sorting of the waste and their presence will also help increasing the people’s awareness on this collective effort.