When you host a meeting or event, you can do a lot to protect the environment and take care of your local community. Here are 15 things you can start doing right now to help create sustainability around meetings and events.
1. Learn
Designate 30 minutes per week to read about sustainability topics like human trafficking, accessibility or climate change. Think about how it applies to your events.
2. Agenda setting
Add sustainability as an agenda item to your internal event planning. Think about client needs related to sustainability and share resources, ideas and challenges.
3. Set goals
Select one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and brainstorm one way to address it at your event.
4. Join a campaign
You are not the only one thinking about sustainable events. Network with peers to access and share resources and best practices.
5. Sustainability Happy Hour
Invite your events colleagues for a Sustainability Happy Hour in order to generate creative ideas for an event sustainability plan. Offer organic food or local craft beverages to stimulate discussion.
BCD M&E Marketing Manager John Kelly shares his knowledge on how to select more sustainable food choices for conferences.
6. Incentivize
Create an incentive for team members who take action to support sustainability goals. It does not have to be expensive. Every recognition of the people’s efforts will encourage them to take further steps.
7. Purchase sustainable products
Ask suppliers to provide sustainable options for name badges, signs or paper products. Consider making sustainable products mandatory for events.
8. Sustainability preference clause
Adapt a sustainability preference clause into your request for proposals and contract templates.
9. Create a “stop doing list”
Draft a list of actions and items that create waste and plan ways to phase them out.
10. Multiple-purpose event branding
Eliminate dates and locations from event branding so they can be reused multiple times.[/vc_column_text]
11. Green travel
Include green travel tips on the event website, including public transportation options.
12. Communicate
Use event communication channels to highlight/promote the use of sustainable products, verified recycled content and organic and fair trade credentials.
13. Find sponsors
Create a sustainability sponsorship menu and have your sustainable ideas sponsored by a supplier or another stakeholder. With the growing financial capacity, you can pursue new sustainability ideas.
14. Code of conduct
Does the event have a code of conduct? If one exists, review it to ensure it covers harassment, inclusion, fairness and safety. If no code exists, create one.
15. Fun facts
Share sustainability fun facts with meeting attendees. Feel free to borrow from The Green White Paper produced by BCD Meetings & Events..[/vc_column_text]
