Environmental Sustainability

Buildings & Operations

A carbon footprint analysis and energy audit are underway, with results and recommendations expected before the end of 2024. The scope of the study includes the Festival’s buildings and the annual daily operations of the organization, as well as the annual festival events (TIFF & TIDF) and the two Market Events/AGORAs.

  • Commissioned to the PEDL Laboratory of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the study will highlight the issues that need to be addressed as a priority, will enable interventions that will reduce energy consumption and energy costs and serve as a baseline for tracking the progress of our action plan.
  • Through this process, the collection, measurement, monitoring and comparison of useful data (energy, water, volume of waste, transport-movements, etc.) is now conducted in a systematic manner.
  • Energy upgrade works have already been realized in OLYMPION, the Festival’s permanent headquarters, which were completed in June 2022, improving the building’s energy rating from class D to energy class B.
  • The replacement of both the old cooling-heating equipment of the building and the lighting units of the two cinema venues, Olympion theatre (ground floor, 676 seats) and Pavlos Zannas theatre (5th floor, 192 seats), has led to both increased energy efficiency and financial savings.
  • The renovation of the Green Room (1st floor, Olympion) and of the workplace of the audiovisual technicians of the venue Olympion (4th floor) was completed in 2022 and in 2023.
  • Further energy upgrading interventions are planned for the immediate future, once the energy efficiency audit is completed – for the OLYMPION, Warehouse C (the Festival and AGORA Centre during the events, located in the Port of Thessaloniki), the Cinema Museum, as well as for other venues managed by the Festival.
  • Other green initiatives in regards to the daily operations, include: gradual replacement of all incandescent lighting to LEDs, exclusive use of rechargeable batteries, replacement of all workstations from desktop to laptop, upgrade of projection systems, reduction of paper consumption, systematic reuse of office materials/equipment/furniture, etc., digitalization of administration procedures.
  • Behavioral measures are also implemented: after working hours all electronic devices are turned off (vs stand-by mode), digital documents preferred over printed ones, online meetings over in-person meetings, when appropriate etc.