Greening Your Event

The question:

How can you use the power of your

planning decisions to reduce the

environmental impact of your event?

Focus Areas: Site/Venue Selection

Hotels/Lodging

Design & Décor

Production

Transportation

Waste Management

Caterers & Restaurants

Communications/Marketing

Site/Venue Selection: Site close to attendees’ residences, to reduce

travel

Choose venue that is a certified green facility

(such as LEED)

Highlight in your RFPs and choose venues

that employ green practices:

- energy efficiency

- water conservation

- air quality

- waste minimization

Choose a site that requires little additional

decoration: farm, botanical garden, etc.

Hotels/Lodging:Choose lodging that employs green practices

in-room recycling programs

towel & sheet reuse

Donate leftover bathroom amenities

guest education materials

Design, Décor & Production: Design to include reusable decorations and

centerpieces

Use potted plants instead of cut flowers

Donate leftover flowers & decorations to

nearby nursing home, hospital, school or

homeless shelter

Collect and recycle nametags and lanyards

at conclusion of event

Encourage re-use and provide donation bins

for “goodie bags”; donate to a local charity

Provide optional print stations instead of handouts

For printed materials:use recycled paper with vegetable-based inks

Move information to website

Provide a mobile app

More Production... Use materials such as:

- bamboo

- recycled plastic

- seaweed

- organic cotton

- hemp

Choose vendors who accommodate green

practices

Train event staff in environmentally-friendly

practices

Transportation: Arrange for and encourage mass-transit options

Partner with airlines to offer purchase of carbon

offset credits for impact of flights

Organize a Carpooling site for event participants

Choose lodging location within walking distance

of other activities

Employ biodiesel shuttle buses, hybrid vehicles

Catering & Restaurants: Source local, organic and/or fair trade food and

beverage products

Water conservation: - provide refillable bottles & water stations, instead of bottled water- don’t pre-fill water glasses

Use reusable or compostable serviceware; recyleable packaging

Condiments presented in bulk instead of individual packages

Donate leftover food to food shelves or shelters, or compost it!

Communications & Marketing: Use evites and Web-based promotion

Online registration

Use digital signage wherever possible

Use email attachments instead of printed

mailings

Communicate green practices to engage

audiences and gain positive PR