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 […]
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 […]
In the 2nd of a 2 part series (read the 1st part here), we’re looking at how certain areas of an event – accommodations, marketing materials, and products in general – can affect its overall sustainability impact in the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Planning an event itself can be a difficult task in the […]
The paper bag princess was so 1990s. Make way for the plastic bag princess! Who knew that a plastic bag evening gown could look so glamorous? This piece by Stephanie Yiu was one of many highlights at Revolution 2014, Ryerson University’s eco-conscious fashion show held on campus on Saturday, February 1st. The fashion show’s mission was to educate new […]
When it comes to planning sustainable events, the devil is in the details. Now admittedly, there can be a lot of those details when it comes to planning any type of event and sustainability can quickly add an additional degree of difficulty. By focusing your attention on certain key areas of concern, however, the entire […]
Before looking into the more specific areas that can affect the overall sustainability of an event (e.g. venue, food and beverage, travel, accommodation, etc.), it is helpful to understand how sustainability in general may relate to an event. Below, we identify a range of factors related to the economic, social, and environmental aspects of sustainability […]
In a number of this blog’s previous posts, I’ve jumped into some of the more specific aspects of sustainable events, like how to manage your event according to ISO 20121, or the pros and cons of using carbon offsets. With a mind for the basics, I’d like to go back and answer the fundamental question: What is […]
Are you a green event ninja? Here are some green meeting hashtags that can help you stay on top of your game on Twitter, Facebook and Google+. Green meeting hashtags #greenmeetings #gmic #sustainablemeetings #hybridevents Event planning hashtags #eventprofs #bizbash #cmp #mpi #ises #pcma Sustainability hashtags #sustainability #susty #csr #socent #greenbiz Green meeting hashtags for an […]
In my previous post, Sustainable event management with ISO 20121:2012, I mentioned the importance of avoiding any form of “green washing” while planning an event. To this point, it’s appropriate to bring up the concept of carbon offsets and their use (or misuse) in green events. Carbon offsets are commonly used by green event planners to […]
ISO 20121:2012 is an international standard for sustainable event management. If you’re planning on hosting a sustainable or “green” event that is both comprehensive and credible in its implementation, this really is the standard you need to know. Ask yourself this: Do I supply products or services to the events industry? Does my organization plan […]