Galician Kung Fu Federation hosts first Sustainability Conference with ITG leading water innovation
On October 11th , the ITG team shared its vision, experiences, and knowledge with the field of Galician sport.
The event was at the First Sustainability Conference organised by the Galician Kung Fu Federation, with the collaboration of Aqualia, Ecoembes, Fundación Deporte Galego, and the Second Vice-Presidency of the Regional Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Sports.
This edition focused on Water Use, with our colleagues from ITG offering their perspective from the point of view of digitalisation. Thanks to excellent organisation, the event, which concluded with the participation of the Secretary of the Union of Galician Sports Federations, brought together more than 50 participants from various clubs and federative bodies, including some visitors from Castilla-La Mancha. The setting, the Cidade da Cultura de Galicia (Santiago de Compostela, Spain), provided the perfect venue for sharing our activities and perspectives.
Kung Fu Sport and Sustainability
This discipline accounts for 1% of Galicia’s GDP, with more than 3,000 companies and 16,000 direct jobs. The environmental impact of sport activities includes water use, cleaning and hygiene materials, sport equipment and clothing. It is estimated that there are potential savings of over 40% in water and 10% in energy. Furthermore, the implementation of environmental measures could reduce pressure on water quality, lower volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, and facilitate waste treatment.
Kung Fu in Galicia has a long-standing tradition, especially since the late 1970s and early 1980s; it is estimated that more than 120,000 Galicians have practised this discipline. The Galician Kung Fu Federation is a pioneer in the field of sustainability: it has its own Sustainability Plan and is one of the early signatories of the Galician Alliance for Climate (Alianza Galega polo Clima).
Water challenges addressed
Nowadays, water is facing a triple crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Reducing, Recovering, and Recycling are key to help alleviate pressure on water resources.
Regarding Recycle, the European Project SYMSITES, in which ITG participates, focuses on the recovery of water and high-value products such as biogas and green hydrogen. ITG works to develop information systems that assess the potential of a geographical area to implement circular economy models, support informed policymaking, connect supply and demand, and digitalise processes for obtaining high-value products.
Innovation, Collaboration, and Participation
One of the key conclusions is that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility: of athletes, clubs, and federations, but also of water operators, the business sector, and the technology ecosystem.
Those wishing to learn more about Urban-Industrial Symbiosis can explore the themed games available via the following links:
Symbiosis: https://devsymsites.itg.es/seriousgame/
