'Snowmorrow' Forum - next generation engaged

Thanks to the ‘Snowmorrow’ Forum, sustainability was a major theme throughout the FIS Nordic Junior World Ski Championship in Planica (SLO). The athletes were given the challenge to think about how big events can be more effective in three key areas: materials, transport and communication. They had the opportunity - also with the help of facilitators from the Future Food Institute - to present their final ideas to the larger group for inclusion in the planning of future sustainable events. The group work was really interesting and seeing the young athletes actively engaged together in proposing solutions to help events be more sustainable underlined even more how their engagement is crucial.

“The ideas that emerged are certainly interesting, all related to the world of transport, one in particular also designed to create awareness and fun. They will certainly be a good basis for thinking up some new projects in the future.” said Susanna Sieff, FIS Sustainability Director.

This FIS initiative developed under the Future Food Institute "Snowmorrow" research project with the support of Viessmann and the Slovenia’s Ski Association, was the first step on a path that aims to increasingly involve the younger generation in sustainability issues.

In Planica, the next generation of Nordic stars took part in several activities to put sustainability at the forefront of major events, including the Forum itself, brainstorming activities and the opportunity to be a part of a new community through the #FISimpactshapers online activation.

The Forum was moderated by Jernej Damjan, former FIS Ski Jumping World Cup champion and FIS Athletes’ Commission member and then featured lightning talks from Susanna Sieff (FIS Sustainability Director), Dr. Maja Zalaznik (Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana and President of the Strategic Council of the Planica organizing committee) and Lars Einloft (Sponsoring Manager at Viessmann) to drive inspiration for the session, such as the sustainability video pills already shared on FIS TV in the week leading up to the event.

The video pills and the video of the event can be found under the following link: Snowmorrow - Innovating Climate Action Together - International Ski & Snowboard Federation (fis-ski.com).

The following day, in the lunch area, all athletes were invited to present additional ideas for making major sporting events more sustainable and it was good to see the commitment of the athletes including inputs that can be integrated into new projects.

Sustainability was also in focus during the competition as every competitor’s bib featured the climate stripes. This also gave us the opportunity for direct activation and engagement on the topic of climate change and the importance of individual and collective behaviour in its mitigation.

The climate stripes were created by Professor Ed Hawkins at the University of Reading in 2018 and show clearly how global average temperatures have risen over nearly two centuries. Each stripe represents the average temperature for a single year, relative to the average temperature over the entire period. The stark band of deep red stripes on the right side of the graphic show the rapid heating of our planet in recent decades. A very easy way of communicating also with the younger generation and involving them.