Introduction

The increasing number of skin diseases caused by the shrinkage of the ozone layer, the acid rains that corrode monuments and disable fertile soil, the greenhouse effect that causes global warming, and recent climate changes are signals of the environmental impacts generated by human activities, with the use of the natural resources without concerns about the future. In recent years, several documents were elaborated making explicit the worry about the environmental issue. In 1972, the Stockholm Declaration, approved during the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, has introduced in the international agenda, for the first time, the environmental dimension as conditioning and limiting the traditional model of economic growth and natural resources use. The Report of the Brundtland Commission (1987), The Ceres Principles (formerly Valdez) of 1989 and the Agenda 21 (Rio-92) show the significance of the sustainable development as a guarantee of humanity’s survival. The human relations with the nature must be controlled and managed. In 1996 the 14000 ISO Norms, of environmental management, were formulated. Their adherence is voluntary and demonstrates the worry about the environmental conditions of the Earth by the adherent organization and defines minimal requirements to an effective Environmental Management System (EMS).

Taking the NBR ISO 14001 Norm, which defines the minimal requirements to an EMS, as reference, Sapiens, Consultoria Biológica, will elaborate and implement an Environmental Management System in the Americas Model United Nations (AMUN). This brings the event for its environmental concern to a level of excellence.

AMUN Project

AMUN Project is the EMS developed jointly with Sapiens, Consultoria Biológica enterprise with the objective of reducing the environmental impacts and making the sustainability practices compatible to the AMUN 2010 edition. This project is based on the NBR ISO 14001 Norm and is focused on promoting a sustainable, high quality, and environmental concerned event. The sustainable project is characterized by activities inside the event organization which meet social, environmental and economic concerns in a balanced way.

These activities are based on Sustainability Principles; Sustainable Acquisitions; Waste Minimization; Water Consumption Reduction; Energetic Efficiency; Carbon Dioxide Emissions Neutralization; Biodiversity Conservation; Participation and Communication; Monitoring and Supervision; Guarantee of a Positive Sustainability Legacy.

At the beginning of the Sustainable Acquisitions, AMUN will seek to obtain products and services suppliers which, during the event, will have a reduced environmental impact. Disposable cups will be reduced to nearly zero and all the participants will have a mug, in order to avoid the use of the disposable cups. The material which all the participants will receive will be environmentally friendly. Thus the event will seek to use, as much as possible, sustainable materials, such as recycled paper, raw cotton biodegradable products, among others. All the waste will be collected by a Waste Cooperative, who will be responsible for the proper disposal and destination of it.

The Water Consumption Reductions will be based on warning signals in the bathrooms, drinking fountains and cafeterias, so to ensure that sink valves are closed and that the waste of water is as minimal as possible. There will also be a constant monitoring of waste throughout the event.

The Carbon Dioxide emissions Neutralization will be based on the collection of the data about all the carbon dioxide that will be emitted during the event. This analysis is being made with the help of specific tables and calculators that are recognized by the CEBDS (Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development). Thus seedlings of native plants from cerrado will be planted in equivalent number so all the carbon dioxide emissions are neutralized. These seedlings will be planted in FAL (Fazenda Água Limpa) with the support of CRAD (Center of Recovery of Degraded Areas), who will provide the seedlings.

The Biodiversity Conservation will be taken to the possible extent. Signals and practices of sustainable education will be adopted to reduce the impacts to the local flora and fauna.

Participation and Communication will involve all the participants. It will include the commitment of each one to respect the signals of turning off the lights and the air conditioner, closing the sink valves, encouraging and reminding colleagues of their mugs, reducing the use of disposable cups, disposing the trash correctly, etc. Thus the environmental awareness will be really constructed. In parallel to this, there will be Monitoring and Supervision, so, throughout the event, the sustainability practices will be observed, corrected, encouraged and always remembered and reminded.

Finally, the Guarantee of a Positive Sustainability Legacy includes the behavioral change of everybody. The event will prioritize the creation of an environmental awareness and therefore a very probable continuation of the sustainable aspects adopted during the event, following this way, future events will have the same characteristics. And also, we expect to change the behavior of all participants in their everyday routine. The goal is to ensure Sustainability in all individual and collective actions. 

SAPIENS TEAM

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