Five steps to …Making your meetings and events greener

Meetings and events are essential for your business but they can have a major impact on the environment. According to one source, a three-day conference for 1,000 people can generate up to  5670kg of discarded waste, while a three-day conference for 800 people  can create 455 tonnes of CO2. There is water consumption to consider too.

But the good news is that there are plenty of ways to make your event greener with some thoughtful planning and building a good partnership with your venue and other suppliers. Try these five steps and you will quickly start reducing that environmental footprint.

Step 1 – Choose your venue carefully

First of all, which country and city will you choose? If you have flexibility on this matter, choose the location that requires fewest combined air miles for everyone attending to fly to it. Then think about the venue itself. Some are much more environmentally friendly than others. In European countries, the most carbon-efficient hotels produce only 2-5kg of CO2 per room night if, for example, they have switched to using renewable energy. The least efficent can easily produce 50kg of CO2 per room night.

Step 2 – Reduce, re-use, recycle

Find as many ways as you can to follow these three Rs for every aspect of your event. Here is just one example of each:

Reduce – Book electric vehicles for transfers to the airport and evening venues.

Re-use – Provide water filling stations and glasses instead of plastic bottles and single-use plastic cups.

Recycle – Retrieve lanyards from attendees at the end of the event and use them again next year.

Step 3 – Pay attenion to the catering

Offer more seasonal and local produce that cuts down on food miles, and more vegetarian options. Waste is another big issue. It is estimated that 15-20 per cent of food at events is uneaten and thrown away, you but can reduce this figure by opting for plated catering instead of buffet service.

You will need to talk to the venue to make these kinds of changes. Tell it you don’t want to do things the old, wasteful way and produce a written agreement  for all the greener options you have specified.

Step 4 – Avoid paper

Put the conference information on an app instead of a printed agenda or programme, and you can even use digital signage at the event instead of printing large cardboard displays. Avoid conference bags and give-aways too, unless they are high-quality items that you can be confident attendees will use.

Step 5 – Consider sustainable activities

Opportunities will vary around the world depending on weather and culture, but examples include tree planting or spending a morning helping a local charity. Mindful activities for attendees are also on the increase – including early morning walks near the venue or yoga sessions.