Sustainable Soirees: Pioneering Eco-Friendly Practices in Event Planning

According to the United Nations, the sustainability movement consists of 17 goals that were established by the UN in 2015 to address a wide variety of global challenges. These goals hope to create a more sustainable and equitable world by the year 2030. https://sdgs.un.org/goals

Anyone can recycle, but can you create an event that incorporates just one of the 17 goals by not only recycling but also including responsible consumption and production, or affordable and clean energy? When creating an agenda for an event, do you take the time to incorporate a carbon offset plan for anyone that may be flying or driving in? A carbon offset credit is a credit that can be purchased to counterbalance those emissions used to travel. These credits can be used towards reforestation or renewable energy projects.

Sustainability has emerged as a crucial concept in our rapidly changing world.

I, like many planners, have gone through the process of making small changes. I have tried to eliminate most single use products such as bottled water and replacing them with pitchers on the tables or even an elevated infused water station. Most recently, for a large event, I was asked to have notepads and pens created. I was toying with the idea of dismissing notepads and pens altogether when I was doing some research online and came across a Rocketbook.  This concept takes a notepad, turns it sustainable by making the paper reusable, and provides a 1% giveback to 3 separate charities. Not only is this product made in the USA, eliminating a large carbon footprint, but it is also giving back.

Something that you don’t always think about when planning an event would be the location. When planning your event, you could consider sustainability as a factor in your location plans by selecting venues within walking distance or with public transportation available.

It doesn’t take much effort to begin your journey. Sustainability in events can often create a cost savings due to reduced resource consumption and waste disposal expenses. Additional “small” changes such as digital communications as opposed to printed materials will save on printing costs, mailing costs, and resources to print and mail materials. How about faux plants, fruit, or an edible centerpiece? These items can be evergreen, consumable and offer little to no waste or effort.

When starting to strategize for your event, consider keeping sustainability in the forefront. First, seek out venues and vendors that align with your overall vision for sustainability at your event. Work with your hotel and vendors to see what sustainability efforts they have in place; your requests can be added in your initial RFP.  Another opportunity is to support and engage with the local businesses where your event is being hosted. This practice has many benefits such as cost saving, forging partnerships with local businesses that may offer eco-friendly products and services, and promotes and builds a stronger local community. Another easy option to reduce cost and waste may be stacking menus, consider asking your venue or hotel if they have other groups in house that may be interested in sharing a menu. These few examples, while seemingly small and low effort, can create lasting impact over time.