Events are all about communication: whatever your message, don’t miss the opportunity to make sure you’re also communicating about sustainability.
If your organisation hasn’t traditionally been very good at sustainability, it might seem quite daunting to ‘go green’ all at once. Try adding one or two new sustainable things to each event and you’ll soon find that your environmental impact has been significantly reduced… and it hasn’t been so scary after all!
1. transport encourage people to come to your event by public transport, to walk or cycle… provide plenty of secure bike parking and minimal parking for cars (remember to make provision for people with accessibility needs); if outdoors, you could use bicycle rickshaws for transporting goods around the site and consider using local contractors so you’re not driving marquees all the way across the country just because it might save you a few quid!
2. waste reduce, reuse and recycle as much as you can; your local authority or local community group might be able to help; try to recruit a team of green volunteers who will help manage the recycling during and after the event; make sure you have enough bins and don’t let them get too full otherwise people will just throw their waste into the nearest available bin
3. energy consider replacing diesel generators with bio-diesel or renewable power generators such as solar panels, hydrogen fuel cells, pedal-power or wind turbines
4. food only use caterers who follow sustainable principles at your event
5. community make sure your event doesn’t leave a trace or cause distress to neighbours: manage your noise and think about how you will disperse crowds at the end of the event… get neighbours on-board by consulting with them in advance, invite them or give them reduced price tickets, and thank them; consider who you want to reach and make sure your communications appeal to all members of the community – use culturally sensitive language and photos, don’t organise events for Muslims in a pub, or for church-goers on a Sunday morning!
6. specify sustainability tell everyone that you ‘only do sustainable’… use e-communications or buy recycled paper for flyers, insist on biodegradable food packaging for caterers, and only allow people to sell eco-aware products in stalls at your event
7. communicate include your eco-credentials in your communications i.e. tell people your flyer printed on 100% recycled paper, give people directions to the event by bike, do a press release about how sustainable your event will be and publish sustainability data after the event (2 tonnes of glass recycled; 100 free compost bins distributed etc)
8. use the power of others you’ll be judged by the content and quality of your event and with a limited budget you’ll probably have to get as much good stuff in there for free or as cheap as possible: invite local or national green organisations to have a stall at your event (tell them why it will be such a great chance to raise their profile that they couldn’t possibly miss it!); the local authority might also be able to provide an information stall on recycling or sustainable homes, provide free materials raising awareness or green initiatives in the borough; if they can’t come themselves, see if you can get organisations to give you freebies such as low-energy light bulbs; remind local authorities and businesses that you have access to people they can’t reach: that they need your event…
9. litter make sure you have a litter team (or better still, a ‘recycling-picking’ team) on the job all day, and after the event has finished; and put the onus for litter management on everyone by including a litter bond in the price of having a stall at your event… make sure someone can check each stall pitch at the end of the day to make sure it has been left clean and tidy; make sure you have enough bins and label them clearly – e.g. ‘compostable waste,’ ‘paper, cans and glass’ and ‘landfill waste’
10. policy write a sustainability policy and make sure everyone getting involved in your event adheres to it; communicate the policy to volunteers, staff, visitors and contractors (have it accessible on your website)
There is also a new British Standard that recognises sustainable events. It does not deal explicity with food, but it does give guidance on other aspects of sustainability relating to events. Visit the BS 8901 area on the BSI website: www.bsigroup.com/BS8901 for more information.
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