This year, the organisers, Val di Sole Tourist Board and Grandi Eventi Val di Sole, hosted a carbon-neutral event for the first time.
A fundamental principle of sustainability is continual improvement. In 2021, Val di Sole organised the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships and was awarded Trentino's Eco Events label for its commitment to protecting the environment and for implementing measures to reduce the impact of the event on the surrounding landscape. This year, the organisers went a step further by working with ClimatePartner to quantify the CO2 emissions from the UCI World Cup, implement a carbon reduction plan, and purchase credits to compensate for the emissions generated by the event.
The projected 272 tons of CO2 emissions from the event were calculated according to the internationally recognised Greenhouse Gas Protocol Standard. It included not only the direct emissions of the event but also those related to the overnight stays of the teams, catering, local transport and, above all, athletes' travel to Val di Sole, which accounted for 94.8% of the total emissions. After calculating the emissions, the organisers implemented the following measures to reduce the event's carbon impacts:
use of local ingredients for the meals on site
use of compostable cutlery and tableware
providing meals as needed to prevent food waste
sustainable waste management
accommodation of the staff, athletes, and their teams close to the event venue
only renewable energy for mains power.
To organise a carbon neutral event, the emissions that cannot be reduced are compensated by supporting third-party validated carbon offsetting projects. The projects selected by the organisers are linked to water, which is a fundamental resource for Val di Sole, a territory that is crossed by the Noce river and characterised by over one hundred lakes.
In Kono, Sierra Leone, the offsetting project aims to build drinking water wells, improve people's quality of life and break down the 10,000 tons of CO2 generated by boiling water. The offsetting project in the Virunga Natural Park in Congo will generate clean energy by funding a hydroelectric plant of 13 megawatts, avoiding the use of fossil fuels.
In December, Val di Sole will continue its carbon reductions and offsetting activities for the UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup.
Plastic-free Val di Sole
Val di Sole’s carbon-neutral initiative was the latest in a line of actions to favour the environment over the last years.
In 2019, the Pejo3000 ski area in Val di Sole became the first in the world to eliminate plastic products. This initiative was triggered by a scientific study revealing that the surface of Forni Glacier in the Italian Alps contained hundreds of millions of microplastic particles. Scientists believe the particles originated from visitors' clothing and equipment and may have been transported there by wind currents. If plastic products reach the mountains, they will remain there for an extended period, even decades, transforming into environmental and health damage and entering the food chain.
To avoid waste from single-use plastic bottles, event organisers have installed water fountains around the venue and encourage spectators to bring their own drink bottles. The containers remain in position all year round for community use by the MTB park and walkers.
Refillable Uno di Un Milione water bottles are provided to volunteers working at the event. Uno di Un Milone is an artistic-environmental project created by the OP Collective to protect Val di Sole's water sources. The bottles, also available for purchase by the public, connect to an interactive app providing access to itineraries for guided excursions, a map of Val di Sole's water sources, and a unique music piece inspired by the experiences lived between the sources and the water paths of the valley.
Ensuring the hardest-to-reach parts of the venue are plastic-free, volunteers have a camelback to take water to marshals working out on the course. Outside the venue, the organisers have also engaged with local bars to share their commitments to eliminating single-use plastic bottles.
For the hundreds of kilometres of barrier tape required for the race courses and other event areas, Val di Sole has gone plastic-free with biodegradable barrier tape in 2022.
"Major sports events have an impact on the environment and we must raise awareness of the goal to reduce this effect, aligned with the commitments made by Val di Sole", said the Director of the Val di Sole Tourism Board Fabio Sacco. – "Pejo3000 is the first plastic-free ski area in the world, and our innovative project "Uno di Un Milione" (One Of A Million) is becoming a concrete reality. We have taken the first steps of an ambitious project, following the guidance of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and for carbon compensation with ClimatePartner. The offsetting projects we support are linked to water, a fundamental resource for our valley".
For information on how to be a mountain hero, see the IOC's ten-step checklist to protect mountains for future generations.