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Wikimedia Affiliates Environmental Sustainability Covenant

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This page contains the Wikimedia Affiliates Environmental Sustainability Covenant, an agreement between Wikimedia affiliates in the field of environmental sustainability.

Wikimedia Affiliates Environmental Sustainability Covenant

The undersigned Wikimedia affiliates,
  • Recognising the urgency of the climate crisis caused by anthropogenic global warming,
  • Affirming that the Wikimedia Movement shares the global responsibility to limit climate change through drastic measures to reduce carbon emissions,
  • Seeking to align the Wikimedia Movement with the goals of the 2016 Paris Agreement,
  • Recognising that, in the spirit of the principle of climate justice, the more privileged must help carry the burden otherwise disproportionately borne by those less privileged and those experiencing the harshest effects of climate change (Most Affected People and Areas),
  • Implementing the movement strategy recommendation “Increase the Sustainability of Our Movement”, specifically the prioritised initiative no. 8, which calls on the entire Wikimedia Movement to “align our practices to support the environmental sustainability of our planet”,
  • In the spirit of the movement strategy recommendation “Evaluate, Iterate, and Adapt”,
  • Following the example set by the board of trustees of the Wikimedia Foundation in its 2017 resolution to reduce its environmental impact,
  • Recognising the broad community support for climate action evidenced by the Wikimedia Sustainability Initiative,
  • Considering that the carbon footprint of the Wikimedia Movement is predominantly caused by flights taken by WMF and affiliate staff, representatives, and community members,
  • Considering the role of the Wikimedia Movement allowing it to set an example for the ecosystem of free knowledge and the greater non-profit sector,

Agree as follows:

  1. Affiliates commit to reducing their carbon footprint through a variety of measures, including but not limited to:
    • drastically limiting the number of kerosene-based flights taken by affiliate staff and representatives and community members, through measures such as
      • caps for flights taken on behalf of the affiliate,
      • increased technical and organisational support for remote events,
      • travel policies that discourage flights over other means of transport and that encourage the use of public transportation, and/or
      • travel policies that require compensation for the environmental cost of air travel,
    • switching to renewable energy for their electricity consumption, where possible,
    • divesting their financial investments from carbon-intensive industries,
    • when engaging in carbon offset programmes, supporting only the planting of native trees in uninhabited areas and not using offsets as an ‘excuse’ for their carbon emissions,
    • implementing other practices listed below.
    Affiliates related to Most Affected People and Areas shall only have limited responsibilities in this regard, and shall receive support from other affiliates to meet them.
  2. Affiliates call on other Wikimedia Movement entities, including and especially the Wikimedia Foundation, to follow their example, specifically concerning the sustainable operation of the Wikimedia Foundation’s data centres.
  3. Affiliates commit to supporting initiatives aimed at improving the coverage of the climate crisis on Wikimedia projects.
  4. Affiliates commit to regularly (at least yearly) sharing their experiences adhering to this covenant to inspire each other and others inside and outside of the Wikimedia Movement.

Signatures

Environmental sustainability efforts at Wikimedia affiliates

WMF WMDE WMSE WMIT WMFR WMZA* WBG* WDG TZM* WMAT WMSD WMUK WMNL WMCH ...
affiliate statistics
budget (in USD) 150 m

(2021)

24.8 m

(2022)

0.97 m 100 k

(2023/24)

17 k 0
staff size (FTE equivalent) 159.9

(2022)

12 1 0 0
policies
sustainability commitment [2] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3] [3]
follows sustainability strategy/roadmap – –
reports carbon footprint –
tracks sustainability practices
travel policy discourages intra-continental flights – [4] – n.a. n.a.
travel policy limits number of flights taken – – – –
sustainable investment policy
–
– – n.a.
carbon offset programme**
–
– –
– –
...
office infrastructure
green certified office building – n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
green energy for offices – n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
green energy for servers
n.a. n.a. n.a.
paperless accounting & bookkeeping n.a. n.a.
second-hand furniture
– n.a. n.a. n.a.
LED office lights w/ automatic turn-off n.a. n.a. n.a.
recycled printer paper & stationery n.a. n.a. n.a.
recycled toiled paper & paper towels – n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
refillable soap dispensers & whiteboard markers n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
office waste separation n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
rechargeable batteries n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
no air conditioning – – n.a. n.a. n.a.
energy-efficient printers and kitchen refrigerators n.a. n.a. n.a.
sustainable technical equipment providers
? n.a. n.a. n.a.
...
employee benefits
co-pay of public transport tickets – n.a. n.a.
no car parking spaces offered to staff members n.a. n.a.
bike parking spaces offered to staff members ? n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.
drinks in glass bottles n.a. n.a. n.a.
organic & fair coffee and food n.a. n.a. n.a.
...
events
organic/vegetarian/vegan-only catering at events ***
zero-waste events
...
* MAPA affiliate (with limited responsibilities)
** practice is discouraged

*** not culturally appropriate

existing practice
developing practice

Further information

References

  1. ↑ Meeting minutes 2021-08-01, Wikimedians for Sustainable Development bi-weekly meetings
  2. ↑ 2017 'Environmental Impact' board resolution
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k WAEASC signatory
  4. ↑ 2022 Wikimedia Deutschland travel policy
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