The first thing that comes to many people’s minds when they hear the word “sustainability” is the environmental side of it – and only that. Like we described in another blog post, however, sustainability must equally consider the social and economic sides of an issue too. When it comes to the social responsibility of events, accessibility […]
James Watson
Sustainable Event Tip #4 – Sustainability Requirements in RFPs
Your event is a direct reflection of its supply chain – the suppliers that you choose to make your event the spectacular success it is. Whether it’s your venue, caterer, audio-visual, décor, accommodation, transportation, etc., by making responsible and informed purchasing decisions, you can greatly improve the sustainability of your event. First off, you want […]
Sustainable Event Tip #3 – Local & Seasonal Foods
There has been a lot of hype about local food lately and we think that is great. Generally speaking, the less distance food travels from farm to plate, the fewer greenhouse gases are emitted. Another added benefit: it tastes better! One thing we would like to emphasize, however, is that “local food” should not only […]
Sustainable Event Tip #2 – Caterers Diverting Organic Waste
Green meetings and events are a direct reflection of their supply chain and, therefore, it’s important to consider how the caterer manages their back-of-house waste during food preparation. Organic waste sent to the landfill has a larger environmental impact than if it’s diverted to a composting facility. For instance, organic waste can take several years to decompose in […]
Sustainable Event Tip #1 – Venue Proximity to Public Transit
The travel of attendees to and from the event venue can represent the largest contributing factor to an event’s overall carbon footprint when compared to areas like the energy use of the venue or audio visual equipment. This is especially so for large events, where huge numbers of attendees could be coming in from all over the place. Travelling by […]
Growth in the Meetings and Events Industry
In a previous post, I described how the events industry was poised for growth. I based this on some research that had predicted a significant increase in the number of event planning jobs across the United States. In this post, I’d like to offer some more direct evidence of this growth. Twice now, the Convention Industry […]
Taking an Honest Look at ‘Going Paperless’
While “going paperless” is a great first step towards planning a green event, it’s only just that – a first step. A recent blog post published by Adrian Segar (@ASegar) hit the nail on the head with this issue. After seeing his colleagues become the target of criticism for supposedly wasting paper at events and being a […]
Working with the MIT Sustainability Summit
We’ve been busy bees over here at Green Event Ninjas (couldn’t think of a good ninja pun there). I’ve just returned from a trip to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I attended the MIT Sustainability Summit. I was invited to attend because Green Event Ninjas had worked with the summit’s leadership team to plan the event itself in […]
Innovation Is Event Sustainability’s Call-to-Action and a Good Reason for Optimism
I’m halfway through a really great book, The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability, by Paul Hawken. Originally published in 1993, with a revised edition published in 2010, the book presents the harsh reality of a modern economy addicted to unchecked industrial pollution and blind mass consumerism. Now, I do not wish to be a […]
Environmentally Sustainable Events and Green Meetings with the APEX/ASTM Standards
The APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards are a collecton of industry standards that specify precisely what it means to plan a green event. As the events industry continues to embrace sustainability in all its forms, standards like this one will begin to play an increasingly important role. If you are a planner of or a […]