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elina Donald , founder
S and chief sustainability officer of The Bulb , has a wealth of experience incorporating sustainability into mega events . The sustainability consultancy has worked on highprofile UK-based events including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games , and international events such as the 2016 Rio Olympics . Selina spoke to EW at IBTM World in December , hot on the heels of her knowledge session ‘ Accelerating Sustainability : Lessons from Megaevents ’.
Catie Owen : What was the process behind The Bulb securing the Birmingham Commonwealth Games ’ ceremonies ? Selina Donald : The Bulb created and led the sustainability and social values strategy for the opening and closing ceremonies for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 . The opportunity came to us at the tender stage for the ceremonies , where several companies tendering to produce the ceremonies got in touch . We worked with them to create their initial strategy and then worked with them to create their plan . One group was from the London Olympic Games 2012 , so we were working with a lot of familiar faces and the best in the industry .
During the process , we were held to account by 19 different social values and sustainability commitments – they weren ’ t
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just a nice to have , they were a contractual agreement . We set our expectations early and told our suppliers that we needed these values from them .
Overall , The Bulb worked with the Commonwealth Games ceremonies team to create , embed , and monitor the strategy , measure the results , and provide a report at the end – which we ’ ll release in 2023 .
CO : COP27 in 2022 saw several controversies regarding the event ’ s sustainable practices , what should future COPs be doing better ? SD : I feel bad for the bad reputation that Egypt , Sharm el Sheikh , got from COP27 because we need to give countries opportunities to host these huge events . But we also need to think about the sustainability of the infrastructure and the purpose of the event . As COP brings countries together to combat climate change , does it need to change location every year ?
The controversies started with Coca-Cola being a sponsor . Putting one of the world ’ s most polluting brands as a sponsor for a climate change event felt like a clear example of greenwashing . Thankfully , Coca-Cola was pulled as the sponsor halfway through the event , which I think shows the power of people and protest .
Additionally , it was reported that there were over 600 pro-oil and gas lobbyists in attendance trying to ensure that the agreement didn ’ t go through . As the purpose of this
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Selina Donald , The Bulb founder and chief sustainability officer |
event is to combat climate change , it needs to stay focused on that goal . We need to start asking – who do we actually need at these events ?
COP28 in Dubai ’ s Expo City will be huge because it ’ s a great venue . Dubai is showing real headway towards sustainability , and they need to make sure they really think about COP28 ’ s sponsors , attendees , and attendee experience .
CO : What advice would you give businesses who think that sustainable practices are a burden rather than an investment ? SD : Businesses should reframe sustainability as the best
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