High spirits and climate action at Switzerland’s biggest triathlon
After months of close collaboration with the organizers of the Zurich City Triathlon (ZC3), a team of First Climate employees crossed the finish line at the event’s second edition on Sunday, June 25th. In their role as a co-sponsor, First Climate calculates and compensates the event’s carbon footprint and provides consulting on how to reduce CO2 emissions in the future.
In this year’s ZC3 company triathlon, First Climate employees finally had a chance to swim, bike and run as teams together with athletes from around a hundred other companies. The two-day event started on Saturday and provided an opportunity for both professional and novice athletes to complete the triathlon either alone or in teams of three – where each team member competes in a separate discipline. Beyond the triathlon course – the classic Olympic and sprint distance routes as well as shorter routes specifically designed for the youngest participants – the event also featured a village and a food festival that provided many opportunities for the competitors and onlookers to re-energize with healthy meals, beverages, and snacks.
First Climate staffed a corporate booth in the village and entered ten athletes to participate in both team and individual triathlons. “The event was an enormous success – besides raising awareness on the topic of sustainability, it provided an amazing opportunity for us First Climate employees to grow as a team,” says Delia Brändli, Project Manager in Carbon Asset Management and First Climate’s team captain.
ZC3 is not only ambitious in their production efforts for the triathlon, but also in their dedication to the climate. To support them in their sustainability aspirations, First Climate became a co-sponsor of the event and provided practical and expert guidance related to reducing their emissions. The climate advisor will calculate the carbon footprint of the event-related emissions based on information submitted by participants about their travel modes and lengths to and from the event. “Of course, our primary role was to be a trusted advisor on climate mitigation, but it was our three teams’ athletic performance and enthusiasm that left a lasting impression on me and the other colleagues who were there to cheer them on. Certainly, it was this team spirit and zeal that pushed them all to supersede their own performance goals. It was truly inspiring to watch our joint teams from our Germany and Switzerland offices,” exclaims Linda Manieram, Managing Director of First Climate (Switzerland) AG.
“As triathletes whose sport takes place outdoors, we care a lot about nature and the environment. At the same time, the organization of a large sports event unavoidably generates greenhouse gas emissions. We have been working diligently to minimize our impact on the environment, and First Climate’s guidance has supported us tremendously in this endeavor. As partners, we were able to identify the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions caused by our event and to determine key measures to reduce our carbon footprint and make our sustainability efforts more visible,” states Daniel Andreolla, Managing Director of Zurich City Triathlon.
To compensate for all ZC3’s residual emissions, First Climate will sponsor the equivalent amount of carbon credits that fund climate action. First Climate staff worked with ZC3 to identify a curated list of climate mitigation projects, which was selected through public voting from some of the 4,350 registered competitors. Participants voted to support forest protection and conservation at the Rimba Raya Reserve in Indonesia. This project covers around 64,000 hectares in Borneo and is dedicated to the preservation of the forest and protection of many endangered species, most notably, the endangered Bornean Orangutan.
Here are some highlights from the triathlon and First Climate’s team:
