Global, though out a wide and varied range of industries, there is a monumental effort to improve the sustainability of the world’s health. Noticeable things such as ice caps melting, islands full of plastic waste and towns and cities where thriving rainforests once grew are telltale signs that we are insidiously ruining the planet’s ecosystem. But what can we do collectively to reverse our rash decisions?
Being more green for events is also one of the many ways of ensuring you stick to a designated budget, allowing you to spend more money on strengthening other areas of the event such as the prestige of the speakers or the quality of the catering.
A way in which groups are helping to improve the planet’s health is in the corporate sector, specifically business events. Precision Printing, experts in digital printing, take us through some tips on how to make your event as green as it can be!
Going Paperless
If your event is going to have a lot of handouts, consider printing them on eco-friendly paper. This is paper that’s been sourced from alternative fibers, such as hemp or wheat straw.
Eco-friendly paper is a great way of encouraging a more sustainable event, and it is quite easy to get ahold of, with quite a selection of papers out there today. A good alternative or consideration to go alongside eco-paper is going completely digital. Chances are, as an event planner, most of your marketing is going to be online anyway.
So, this could be keeping paper usage to an absolute minimum, and one of the main ways to do this is to develop an app for the event. This way, anyone with a smartphone, which accounts for the majorities, can see everything they need to all in one place, without having any overcrowded folders full of documents and handouts they’re likely to dispose of.
Banning the use of promotional leaflets and instead of having a dedicated app for the event it a great way to reduce the amount of paper distribution whilst storing all necessary information in one place, such as a map, timetable, and schedule of the event.
Minimize Refreshment Waste
Think of how many plastic plates and cups are generated from large events, not to mention the ones that don’t end up getting used. Considering buying locally sourced and fresh food is more likely to reduce the carbon footprint. Asking your caterers to use food containers, bulking food together rather than using individually wrapped produce will save a large amount of waste before your event has begun.
Ensuring food wastage is kept to a minimum from the moment your guests start arriving can be done by reminding the caterers no to refill the buffet so regularly, letting the levels of food go down naturally rather than overfeeding. Making sure there is plenty of food to go around, avoiding waiting times is great, but seeing lots of leftover, untouched food at the end of your event isn’t best practice.
Thinking about the type of food in terms of their level of biodegradability is important too as meats such as beef or pork are naturally going to take longer to break down rather than vegetables.
Recycle Posts
This is a simple and cost-effective way of implementing a more sustainable approach to your networking event. By simply deploying a recycling bin in each corner, or if you’re event is on a larger scale, every 30 yards or so, guests can help to contribute directly themselves by putting any packaging, paper or other materials used during the event into the necessary recycling stations.
Signage should be clear, bold and state exactly which bin needs which waste. Avoid lists of do’s and don’ts as this will either confuse your guests or put them off recycling altogether. With food waste being one of the main sources of landfill problems, it’s important to get it right.
If there are a few to none stations then you’re giving your guests more reason to dump their waste. Not only will this help to reduce the mixing of recyclable and non-recyclable waste, but it’ll also encourage guests to think more ecologically and will motivate them knowing they’re helping to contribute.
Steps To Take After The Event
When following up on your conference or event, you could always include some stats in terms of just how ecological your event was, the amount of waste recycled, etc. Spread awareness about how the event has had a positive effect on the local environment as well as the local community.
Guests knowing they’ve voluntarily or involuntarily contributed towards this will in turn, get them sharing the post-event report on social platforms, ensuring more coverage.
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