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An eco-friendly event is a planned event that encourages green measures and reduces the waste and excess. And I’m not just talking about the regular going green routine. An eco-friendly event is one that is all about the effect and influence of the event on our planet. An all-inclusive line of attack that runs the gamut. From resource reduction and recycling, to sourcing local food and goods, to preventing energy and landfill waste. And everything else in between.
The advantages of eco-friendly events are endless. First and foremost it helps our planet and in a big way. While being good for the environment it’s also good business too. I’m not going to lie. Eco-friendly tactics can add to the bottom line. But there are lots of green alternatives that will save event dollars as well.
Eco-Friendly Event Ideas, One Step at a Time
Events in general are likely to come to the table with quite an environmental carbon footprint. Some of it’s unpreventable however lots of it is so avoidable. Organizing an eco-friendly event does not mean you have to reinvent the wheel, recreate the blue print or start from scratch. Some green fine tuning or modifications will often do the trick to helping the environment. You can start with small things. Remember when it comes to bottled water, in the US only about five percent of plastic bottles are recycled. And it takes about five or six times as much water needed to generate one bottle of water. And sometimes sourcing local food can increase event costs. Yet this isn’t true in every circumstances. To make it work we can even things out by reducing or adjusting something else.
3 Tips to Eco-Friendly Event Ideas
Sometimes being green doesn’t just fit into the event blueprint or budget. But the times they are a changing and a healthy environment is key. So no matter how big or small, we all have to try and do our part. Here are a few of my favorite tips that can help us all be a little bit more sustainable.
Reduce the Paper
One of the bigger and more basic green methods is to reduce the usage of paper by going paperless. By decreasing the need for excessive use and printing of needless amounts of paper. And for the record, the reduction of paper and going paperless shouldn’t just be applied to events. There are so many effective ways we can replace what would regularly be sent via paper. Look to swap any event information and communication that can be covered electronically. Start with benefiting from all the latest and greatest technology around that can help to reduce all that paper.
You can Recycle That!
No matter what is involved and (even) with all the eco-friendly options. The truth is that so much of what we use does become waste. Overall the majority of us, event planners or not, personally recycle. So be sure to find out what sources your venue or hotel utilizes. Do your research an ask questions. Across the board what do they recycle? How do they prevent waste? Where do the leftovers go? What green vendor policies do they have in place? Do they utilized recycling bin solutions? Do they have energy conservation in position? Do they compost? What about textile recycling services? Do they have a plan in place to deal with electronic waste?
Partner with Sustainable Vendors
Events and conferences are great ways to gain knowledge, contribute, network and learn. However in the end they do leave a surplus of excess and waste. By sourcing and working with eco-friendly vendors you are assured an eco-friendly experience. Event success lies in the details and by working with eco-friendly vendors you’re already one step ahead of the rest. They are all about creating not wasteful, environmentally green events while ensuring they are cost effective. They not only are budget conscious they help in reducing your environmental footprint.
