Back in September 2021, the project team for Airpower 2022 was instructed by Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner to plan and implement the air show as a “role model” for a sustainable major event. The topic of sustainability was therefore a top priority for all those responsible and ran through all planning steps as a cross-cutting issue. The final sustainability report is now available, which demonstrates significant success in reducing CO2 emissions.
“It was clear to me from the very beginning that the project team had to plan and implement Airpower 2022 as a real role model for a sustainable major event. Together with independent experts, those responsible worked on a comprehensive sustainability concept, the impressive results of which are now documented in this sustainability report. More than 3,357 data records with around 17,000 individual entries in 106 data groups were evaluated and compared with existing data from 2019. These show a saving of 18 percent CO2 equivalent per capita; our declared target for 2021 was 15 percent,” explains Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
The key figures in the sustainability report demonstrate clear successes:
- The sustainability efforts led to a reduction of 18 percent in CO2 equivalent per capita or visitor.
- CO2 compensation of 100 percent makes Airpower 2022 a “climate-neutral” event.
- Airpower 2022 generated 92 percent of regional added value in services, suppliers and catering directly from the region or Styria.
- 3,357 evaluated data records with 17,000 individual entries provide a profound planning basis for the next AIRPOWER event.
The in-depth planning and monitoring of the sustainability efforts is also confirmed by Wolfgang Mattes, scientific advisor for the sustainability area of Airpower 2022 and university lecturer at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences: “Comparisons with similar major events, such as an air show in Canada or the Danube Island Festival, show how much more detailed the planning and implementation of sustainability was at Airpower.”
Significant reductions in several areas
The planned measures to improve the greenhouse gas balance, particularly in the areas of avoidance and reduction, have demonstrably had an impact. Despite significantly higher visitor numbers in 2022 compared to 2019, we succeeded in making significant savings in emissions and resources in the areas of mobility, catering, energy, waste and material supply.
- A comprehensive waste management concept led to a 35 percent reduction in residual waste.
- The power supply units that previously ran on fossil fuels were replaced and 83 percent of Airpower’s entire power supply was ensured with certified green electricity (Austrian Ecolabel 46).
- The accommodation for the soldiers involved was located as close as possible to the event site and transportation was provided by large vehicles instead of small vehicles.
100% CO2 compensation already being implemented
“It is also important to me that the CO2 balance of Airpower 2022 is now completely neutralized with suitable compensation projects, making Airpower 2022 the first CO2-neutral air show in the world. The first offsetting measures have already been prepared and will be implemented as early as 2023,” continued Tanner. https://militaeraktuell.at/airpower-2022-mit-international-ausgezeichnet/ Optimized transport concept for the future
Naturally, a particular focus of the sustainability strategy was the topic of transport, in particular making it more attractive to travel to the event by public transport. By providing numerous special trains, including direct trains from some provincial capitals, as well as 365 bus routes from almost all over Austria, for example, visitors were able to use public transport and shuttle concepts to travel to the event as far as possible, while a specific incentive system also encouraged the formation of car pools. A reduction in the number of parking spaces provided by the organizer to half in 2019 was intended to provide a further incentive for public travel. As the sustainability report clearly shows, the majority of CO2 emissions are still attributable to visitor mobility. A transport concept that can be further optimized is therefore the key to future sustainability efforts at the next Airpower events. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfkhVwVoFQw&embeds_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fb3u04e.myraidbox.de%2F&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE&feature=emb_title The sustainability strategy and the sustainability report for Airpower 2022 were developed and implemented in the project organization under the overall project management of Brigadier Wolfgang Prieler by a separate sustainability staff unit headed by Major Sebastian Schwab with scientific support from a separate advisory board headed by university lecturer Wolfgang Mattes and external, independent project support from sustainability consultants Michael Jayasekara, Petra Bußwald and Stephan Maier. “I would like to thank all those responsible for contributing to the positive results of the sustainability strategy. And this is just the beginning: we have all learned from the experience of 2022 – we will be able to make adjustments at future Airpower events with the data that has now been validly collected and take further substantial steps towards decarbonization,” explains Tanner. https://militaeraktuell.at/das-war-die-airpower-2022-die-highlights/ Planning contract awarded for next AIRPOWER
What the next Airpower the initial course has been set: Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner has already issued the planning order for a next Airpower for this purpose. “We also feel supported here by the clear wishes of the population. In a representative survey from September 2022, a clear three-quarters majority, specifically 81% of respondents, said that Airpower is very important or rather important for the Murtal region, its economy and tourism, and in the Murtal region the figure was an impressive 84%,” concludes Tanner.
