More than 1,100 trees are to be planted in South Australia as part of a RANZCO initiative to champion sustainability.
The trees were bought by people attending the recent Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists Congress in Adelaide and donated to The Forktree Project, an organisation aiming to restore a former pastoral property in the state’s Fleurieu Peninsula.
“With the generous support of attendees at this year’s RANZCO Congress, we’ll be getting an additional 1,105 native trees in the ground to build back critical native habitat,” said Mr Tim Jarvis, an environmental scientist, adventurer, and keynote speaker at the Congress.
“A big thanks from both the Forktree team and the native wildlife this habitat will support.”
A release supporting the move said it was made as part of RANZCO’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.
Current RANZCO president Prof Peter McCluskey said: “The tree-planting project is just one of the many ways RANZCO is embedding sustainability into its operations, as RANZCO strives to lead by example within the healthcare conference sector.
“RANZCO is committed to sustainability in ophthalmology, and the Congress was an opportune time to focus on sustainability.”
Beyond tree planting, RANZCO worked closely with both the Adelaide Convention Centre (ACC) and Congress organiser, Think Business Events, to implement a comprehensive sustainability plan for this year’s event.
Key efforts included:
- Carbon offsetting: By way of tree donations and exercise bikes.
- Sustainable catering: In line with ACC’s Sustainability Policies. Integration of reusable coffee cup washing stations.
- Plastic-free event: The Congress operated without single-use plastics, promoting reusable materials and sustainable alternatives wherever possible. This year, all signage was either electronic or made from recycled eco board. All leftover lanyards and name badges were recycled.
- Digital transformation: RANZCO has significantly reduced the use of printed materials, moving to digital platforms for program schedules, abstracts, and other delegate communications.
The release said RANZCO’s ongoing sustainability efforts were aligned with global environmental goals and reflected its commitment to both patient care and planetary health.
“The tree-planting initiative symbolises growth and renewal – values at the heart of RANZCO’s mission to support eye health and wellbeing across Australia, New Zealand, and beyond.”
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