As climate change is simply getting worse, we as citizens of the world must strive to play our part to help care for our planet. According to a report conducted by Powerful Thinking, the events industry is responsible for approximately 20 kilotonnes of C02e annually, 100 kilotonnes of C02e (annually),23,500 tonnes of waste and 5 million litres of diesel consumption. We all attend events in our day-to-day lives, whether it’s a party, festival or work conference. No matter how big or small the events are, an event organiser must try to plan and make the event more sustainable and encourage all attendees to play their part in helping to make the event more sustainable. In this blog, read on to discover five ways we urge you to try to help make your event more eco-friendly and sustainable.
What are green events or sustainable events?
Green/sustainable events are events that are planned in ways to help protect our environment. These events are conducted in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. It doesn’t necessarily mean every aspect of these events has to be 100% sustainable; most of the time, it is about becoming one step closer to helping climate change and reducing waste and your carbon footprint.
How to make sustainable events?
Waste Management
One of the key ways to make your event more sustainable is by managing the overall waste your event will generate. One way to effectively manage the waste to help make your event more sustainable is by implementing a waste segregation system. This involves the event organiser placing different types of waste bins around the venue so all the attendees can correctly dispose of the waste. This will mean that the things that need to be recycled will get recycled correctly.
Event organisers should also try their best to source equipment, food and materials they need from vendors who use recyclable and eco-friendly materials for the products they want to purchase.
Go Paperless
Despite paper being a better alternative to plastic, why not just go paper-free. Using paper is only possible by cutting down trees, so where it is possible, try and reduce the use of paper for your events. This could involve implementing a digital ticket system for your attendees rather than them having to purchase and use paper tickets. For instance, a ticketing platform like ours, Vivus Create. Vivus Create is an events management software that helps event organisers manage events, sponsors, social campaigns, and sell tickets. Our app allows event organisers and attendees to sell and purchase tickets digitally.
Another way event organisers can implement this method is by having lots of paper recycling bins within the venue, encouraging attendees to use and recycle any paper they are using.
Reducing Your Events Transportation Footprint
It is not just about the venue you choose or your choices of making the event more sustainable; your attendees also play a massive role in making your event sustainable.
When considering how people will arrive at your venue, you may realise people may drive a long distance to get to your event. This means that because people may be driving long distances, it will increase the overall carbon footprint of your event. To help reduce your carbon footprint, firstly choose a venue close to public transport as shared transportation is much better than people coming in their own cars. Try encouraging all of your attendees to walk or use public transport as much as possible. A clever way to achieve and encourage users to actually use public transport or walk is by rewarding them or offering a discount when they arrive at the event. For instance, by doing so, attendees may be able to purchase drinks at a discounted price, providing they show proof of them using public transport or walking, e.g. a train ticket.
Selecting An Eco-Friendly Venue
The best way to make your event sustainable is by firstly choosing an eco-friendly venue. This includes selecting a venue with lots of recycling stations already available so attendees can dispose of their waste correctly. Try also choosing a venue with an excellent smart energy policy to avoid wasting energy and help control energy whilst running the event.
Make sure you also use a venue that aligns with the sustainability goals that you have planned and want to achieve for your event.
Go Green In Your Event Planning
Not literally, but by this, we mean that when you are planning your event, contacting vendors/suppliers, and finding a venue, always keep in mind that your goal is to create as much as possible a sustainable event in the end. Create clear goals that will help you achieve a sustainable and green event. The more you plan and the more research you do, the higher the chance there will be of you, in the end, creating a more sustainable and eco-friendly event.
We hope through this blog; you will be able to take away some valuable information and tips that will help you next time when you want to plan an event or simply make your event more sustainable.
Check out more things like ‘Five Ways To Make Your Events More Sustainable’ by checking out Vivus or getting the Vivus app. You can also use the Vivus app to sell or buy tickets to your favourite events.