I’m not going to beat around the bush on this one.
The world needs our help, it’s dying and that’s our fault. With all the burning of natural resources, cutting down our beautiful forests and the fact that we live in a society where we throw things out and buy new ones rather than getting it fixed, it’s not a wonder.
But YOU can help, and there are easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint. We may not fix the larger problems but if enough of us do the right thing we could see big changes. We can be doing simple things, things as simple as reduce, reuse and recycle.
Here are 18 things that you can do to make your next event green!
Prior to your event:
- Choose a venue that follows green practices.
- Communicate with the venue your intentions to be green- They may have specific ideas that relate to their venue.
- Choose a venue close to where your guests are located.
- Encourage delegates to carpool, catch public transport or even organise your own bus for them to catch.
- See if the caterer uses real china rather than paper or plastic cups/ plates.
- When sourcing items, try to go locally- This not only cuts down on transportation but also supports your local community.
- Use environmentally friendly/ recycled paper.
- For all the documents that have to be printed, make them double sided.
- Save paper by going digital with your invites, registration and follow-up.
- Encourage your speakers to use electronic presentations.
- Encourage guests to bring their tablets/ laptops to take notes, rather than pens and pads.
- Cut down on paper handouts and make them electronic.
During your event:
- Have your air-con set for between 20-22 degrees.
- See if you can use natural light.
- Use whiteboards rather than flip charts or even web whiteboards (check them out they are actually really cool and super simple to use. Here are a couple options: https://awwapp.com/ or https://www.webwhiteboard.com/ )
After your event:
- Any rubbish paper or plastic put it in the recycling bin or to the side so the cleaners can do it.
- Turn off the lights/ air-con/ equipment in your room as you leave- function staff could get busy and it could be left on for a while.
- Collect up any equipment/ resources that could be used again eg) Name badge holders, table numbers, lanyards.
Most of these things are inexpensive and easy to do. so honestly, why not? It makes you look good, it makes your company look good and it’s helping our beautiful planet.
We can help, all we need is you to take the first step.