The highest Environmental Accreditation status awarded by the International Automobile Federation FIA is a matter of honour for Neste Rally Finland.
Neste Rally Finland Promoter Jani Backman is pleased: three years of diligent work was rewarded last year, when Neste Rally Finland became one of the four WRC rallies to achieve the highest environmental criteria of the International Automobile Federation, the FIA.
“The basis of the FIA audit were for example the event’s carbon footprint, air quality, logistics and purchases of materials such as all printed material and merchandise as well as signposts. Every year, we evaluate our progress across the board.”
Environmental responsibility is an ongoing process and it is implemented and developed also in cooperation with the event partners.
“We are working together with Neste for example on the 100% renewable My Diesel, which is used in all of the rally organisation’s diesel cars and power generators. Also with Grano, another one of the Neste Rally Finland partners, our cooperation is based on a strong renewable-minded theme.”
Few people actually come to think of how many aspects the environmental responsibly work really has in an event of this scale.
“The noise levels of the rally are regulated by law and the water and soil loads have to be continuously evaluated and controlled. Waste management out on the special stages and in the Paviljonki area are also an integral part of the equation.”
“We are a Finnish large-scale event. There are other actors in the same genre too, and for example with our partner Ramirent, we mirror our actions with the other events they are involved in”, Backman describes the benefits of cooperation.
From small streams into well-functioning entities, that’s what environmental thinking is at its best. Nature appreciates a nature friend.
“The spectator transport arrangements and the oil spill kit requirement praised by the FIA in their report are examples of our successes. They also show us that we are on the right track. Environmental work does not happen just in the organiser’s cabinets but is a joint effort of all the parties. Together with the city of Jyväskylä, we wish to once again offer all rally-goers a great WRC experience and at the same time remind everyone to take good care of our common environment, especially as the Paviljonki Rally HQ area and the forests of Central Finland are exceptionally clean and fantastic places to enjoy a World Rally event – even on an international scale”, Promoter Backman praises.
Photo: Toni Ollikainen / AKK
