The events industry gets a lot of flack for being wasteful and unnecessary. There are things we can do in the course of planning our events that allow us to be more mindful of our footprint on the planet.
According to the Industry Council, a green meeting or event is one that incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment in all stages of planning an event.
One event may not be remarkable in terms of making an impact but, over the course of our careers, thousands of events can have a significant effect.
Reducing Waste
There are three main areas on which we can focus to minimize our impact and create more sustainable events.
Technology:
In most industries, the number one cause of waste is the extraneous use of paper products. Using technology to counteract this at every stage of your event is a creative way to do this and you will be right on trend. Below are some ways in which technology can help reduce the carbon footprint of your events:
- Marketing: institute email campaigns to launch and advertise your event rather than using traditional paper products. Set up an outreach system through social media platforms to get out the word and your message about your events.
- Online Tools: most events today are able to benefit from the use of online tools from sharing pre-event information to registering for an event to your event follow-up. Encouraging any speakers to use digital products to relay their information rather than passing out paper products is also an excellent way to eliminate waste.
- Online Meetings & Events: not all events are grand in scale or require in-person attendance. Utilizing the internet in this area can reduce the carbon footprint of your event due to the reduction or elimination of travel and all that entails. Live streaming or webcasting your event, if appropriate, is not only good for the environment, it can benefit your client as well. Many people are unable to attend events for a variety of factors. Using this form of technology expands your client’s reach to include those who otherwise wouldn’t hear their message.
Venue Selection:
One of the easiest ways to implement green practices in your event planning is to solely use venues and hotels that are Seal certified. This way, much of the effort will be the responsibility of the hotel or venue, as it will already have its policies and guidelines put in place. Coordinating further green efforts with certified places of business becomes a much easier task when they already implement these as a matter of course.
Below are some factors to consider when assessing which venue or hotel will best fit your needs:
- Beyond basic recycling, what eco-friendly policies do they have in place from energy conservation methods down to the serving pieces that will be used?
- Is the venue or hotel located centrally where mass transit can be taken to cut back on private transportation emissions? If multiple locations will be used are they in close proximity to one another, such that participants could walk to and from events? Are restaurants within walking distance?
- Does the in-house caterer make sustainability and locally sourced food a consideration when choosing his menu?
- What is the practice of the venue or hotel for any food that is leftover? Some venues have strict policies surrounding this issue due to their fear of liability. While not all leftovers will be suitable for donation, much will. Is it the venue’s practice to donate to a particular organization? Are there homeless shelters or food banks in the area that could receive the food? Some areas even have local food rescue teams ready to distribute to organizations in need.
These questions and those that follow are just a jumping off point to get your imagination going. While the options are endless for implementing eco-friendly guidelines, it is up to you to decide how in-depth you wish to go and what is right for your business and your client.
Going green in all aspects of your event planning is not only good for the environment it is good for business. #GoGreen #EventPlanning Click To TweetFood & Beverage:
In the United States alone, 500 million straws are used and thrown away daily. On average it takes a plastic bottle 450 years to biodegrade. These substances are not only congesting our landfills but they clogging our oceans and risking marine life. With statistics like this, it is easy to see how this area is a huge contributor to this problem. It’s a great opportunity to adapt your event plan to eliminate the need for single-use plastics and create a food service plan that is more eco-friendly.
- Rather than distributing water bottles, consider setting up water stations throughout your event. If appropriate, you could hand out refillable water bottles as an addition to the swag bags provided to guests. Who knows, it may even encourage the guests to use them following the event.
- Trade in the use of plastic dishes, cutlery, and cups for the real thing. Have the food provider swap those versions out for china, glasses, and silverware which they can re-use time and again. Another option would be to use biodegradable versions of the same such as those made of bamboo.
- Discuss with the in-house caterers or those you contract the elimination of single-use plastics. Some cities and even a few state-wide bans are now in place removing the availability of straws for guests. Whether your event is in one of those cities, you can certainly make the decision to have them removed. Have your caterer use bulk, refillable dispensers for sugar, salt, pepper and condiments rather than individually wrapped packets. Do they use linens or are the napkins disposable? These are all considerations you will want to discuss.
Suppliers & Vendors:
Source contractors with whom you can collaborate who have policies in place regarding greenhouse gas emissions. Considerations of note are whether they use recyclable products and energy efficient equipment. Be sure to ask for their guidelines for sustainability to assess whether they are a business with whom you wish to align.
Increased Business:
It isn’t just good for the environment’s bottom line to implement green initiatives in your business – it’s good for yours as well. An additional benefit of positioning yourself as an eco-friendly planner is that you will gain business from those companies and individuals who take a strong stand on this issue.
It is a unique way to align yourself with businesses that are complementary in nature. Partnering in this manner will allow you to enjoy increased referrals and potential profits that other planners who have not tapped into this market will miss out on. Focus on those who are not your direct competition but rather have a common goal. Examples of these could be hotels, venues or caterers.
Check Federal and State agencies in your area for initiatives that offer benefits to companies who have made the decision to go green. Preference is often given to these companies who make the effort to become eco-friendly.
As with anything, unless you write it down, there is the potential for a lack of follow-through and that includes your own business’s policy on sustainability. Ensure that your own environmental strategy is established and share it with potential clients and anyone with whom you collaborate.
After each event, consider having a debrief with your team to assess how well you adhered to your own sustainability policy. Is there room for improvements or changes before the next event you plan?
While it takes some discipline in the short term to implement your sustainable event guidelines, in the long run, it can end up saving you time, money and effort.