Sustainability at ISTA

Mobility/Arrival

Find information on how to get to the ISTA campus here.

Certified Locations

• Raiffeisen lecture Hall.
  • The Raiffeisen Lecture Hall adjoining the Central Building is a state-of-the-art lecture hall with a maximum capacity of 200 seats
  • Accessibility Statement
• Moonstone Building
  • The Moonstone Building opened in summer 2023. In addition to laboratory and office space it provides space for the new VISTA science education program to hold student workshops and teacher training sessions on 12,000 m². It also houses a state-of-the-art seminar center for scientific conferences holding 400 people.
  • Accessibility Statement

Accessibility

It is very important to us to make events barrier-free. We look forward to your enquiries so that we can best meet your and the participants’ individual needs. Please find more information in our general accessibility guide for the ISTA campus. 

Waste separation

Dispose of your waste (residual waste, PET, glass, paper, metal, batteries & accumulators, etc.) via the separate collection offered at the event.

Hotels

If possible, please choose an environmentally certified hotel (Austrian Eco-label, European Ecolabel, EMAS, etc.) and use the environmentally friendly services offered by your hotel (change towels and sheets only when necessary, etc.). Switch off all lights and electronic devices (TV, air conditioning, heating, computer, etc.) when leaving the hotel room temporarily.

Drinking water at ISTA

Refill your empty drinking bottle with tap water again and again instead of buying a new drinking bottle. The water on campus is of drinking quality.

Reusables

Reusable is environmental protection: Prefer openly served drinks, food on dishes, milk and sugar without portion packaging, etc.  Refrain from using disposable PET water bottles and use a reusable bottle instead.

Writing utensils

Use your own writing utensils or laptop/tablet.

Program

Call up the program of the event online on the website instead of printing it out. This way you always have the current program.

Name badges

Return your badges or name tags to the registration desk after the end of the event if you have received any.

Key infos

• Incorporate the green criteria from the beginning when organizing a meeting to make sure the certification is done in time and it is included in all communication (emails, website, etc.).
• Travel, catering and hotels comprise the bulk of the footprint of a scientific meeting or event. Organizing a green meeting will mean that all parts of the event will need to full fill certain criteria. List of the criteria can be found here.
• Provide sustainable travel options and promote the ISTA shuttle bus and public transport as much as possible. If taxi or flights are needed, specify the greenest option available. When planning the meeting also to care of people with special needs, so it is accessible for all.
• Vegetarian, organic and local food caterings are preferred. Please ask the events team for caterers that fulfill these criteria, or find a list of certified caterers here.
• Please use or advertise hotels that have been certified. Details and a list of hotels can be found here.

Support and contacts

Please contact the events team as soon as possible when planning your meeting because this needs to be implemented and communicated from the beginning.

For more general information about sustainability at ISTA and support for green events please contact the sustainability office.

We are currently in the process of getting our license and aim at organizing events according to the criteria of the Austrian Ecolabel for Green Meetings.

• ISTA Lecture: Catherine Dulac