5 Ways You Can Be an Eco-Friendlier Event Attendee

In-person events are back! And whether planners have kept environmental sustainability at the top of mind or not, you can still do your part as an individual. Here are five tips you can follow to be an eco-friendlier event attendee:

1. Attend Virtually

I know, you probably didn’t want to hear that. However travel and food have the largest impact on your carbon footprint. So, if a hybrid option is made available, attending virtually is the best way to reduce your environmental impact - especially for events out of province or country.

2. Use Public Transportation

Once you decide that you will attend an in-person event, consider if the venue is accessible using alternative transit. Is it in a central location? If yes, consider other modes of transportation. For example, are you able to walk or bike? Take public transportation or perhaps carpool with other event attendees? Carpooling is a great opportunity to further your networking and relationship building with your fellow event peers while also decreasing your carbon footprint. It’s a win-win!

3. Bring Your Own…

Whether or not the event team has chosen reusables or single-use items, you can always bring your own! Pack your own reusable water bottle, coffee mug and even your own cutlery. I bring these with me every time I leave my home.

4. Say ‘No’ To More Stuff

Whether it’s swag bags, promotional items like flyers, pens, giveaways or even business cards. Pause and ask yourself, do you really NEED it? How many times have you simply accepted something because it was handed to you, and then it sat in a drawer or your car for months to come?  Politely decline and opt to take a photo of someone’s business card instead; or better yet ask your new connection to add you on LinkedIn directly!

5. Provide Feedback

While on-site, did you notice a lack of recycling or organic bin options? Or perhaps an overwhelming number of single-use items? When you receive a feedback form request from event organizers, take this opportunity to provide honest feedback if there was lack of eco considerations during the event and help start those conversations about incorporating more event sustainability. The more often event organizers hear this is a concern of the attendees, the further thought and planning they will place on ensuring their events are more sustainable.

Finally use this FREE carbon footprint calculator developed by MeetGreen to determine the impact you had as an event attendee. Simply answer the questions to compute your approximate carbon footprint, make a note of it and see how you can continuously reduce your environmental impact year after year!

About the Author:

Romina Kwong
Founder, Eco-Friendly Events