Hetzner goes green with The Loerie Awards

Climate change is one of the most important issues facing our planet. From 7 December 2009, environment ministers and officials from around the world will gather in Copenhagen for the COP15 United Nations climate conference to thrash out how countries can reduce their carbon emissions.

Recognising that environmental responsibility and carbon neutrality are issues of great importance, Hetzner, in partnership with The Loerie Awards, has taken a step in the direction of improved environmental responsibility. As a sponsor of The Loerie Awards since 2005, Hetzner wanted to take its involvement a step further by reducing the environmental impact of the event.

As the official web hosting partner for the event, Hetzner has played an increasingly important role in the success of the Awards as all entries are submitted online via the Loeries website, hosted on Hetzner’s network infrastructure.

In looking to positively contribute to the environment and counteract the effects of climate change, Hetzner approached the Loeries team with a suggestion for a greener event by off-setting the carbon footprint created by the Awards.

Determining the impact was a somewhat scientific exercise, rather than a mere approximation. Working together with Food & Trees for Africa, an estimation of the carbon emissions took into account a number of factors. These included an assumption that 3 800 people would attend the event; of those attending 2 850 would have travelled to and from the Mother City by aeroplane. The calculations also took into account taxis and buses used to shuttle people in Cape Town, and even the electrical consumption for the Good Hope Centre, where The Loerie Awards was held.

With the United Nations, World Bank and other leading non-governmental organisations encouraging reforestation and tree planting as one of the ways to mitigate the effects of climate change, Hetzner felt that doing similar would be a practical and effective step towards lowering the environmental impact of the Awards.

260 trees were bought on behalf of The Loerie Awards and were distributed to the residents of the new settlement of Delft to benefit the local community. As the trees grow, they will absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert it into oxygen.

Noting that in this age, companies always have to look at the legacy effect of their operations, The Loerie Awards CEO Andrew Human says the organisation seeks to leave a positive contribution to the communities it interacts with. “Thanks to Hetzner, receiving a Loerie this year is an honour which can be enjoyed in the knowledge that the event has had no adverse impact on the environment”.

Human believes environmental responsibility is a concept which should be considered for any event held in South Africa, especially with the World Cup on the horizon.