Sustainability is not just a buzzword. The Plastic Pledge campaign that’s been making real changes recently, is proof that a huge number of people from all around the world care about our environment and want to protect it. That means they are being mindful about the events they attend. They don’t want to contribute towards more pollution so they will ask uncomfortable questions to make sure an event is truly sustainable before they decide to attend it.

The increased environmental awareness is the major reason why sustainable events are getting more popular by the day. But there are other reasons you should consider. How about two really important points that show why sustainable events are so important for event managers and businesses?

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1. It’s About the Audience

Wanderlust is a huge organization based on the mission of wellbeing. It organizes events all around the USA, culminating with summer festivals that attract thousands of people who are there to celebrate life, love, and our environment.

Since this is an organization based on the concept of mindfulness, sustainability seems like a clear expectation among its audience. That’s exactly why it’s in the core of Wanderlust events. The Wander Without Waste movement turns the festival into an eco-friendly event. The staff and all participants work hard to minimize waste and contribute towards a cleaner environment.

These are the specific steps the team takes:

● Water bottle refill stations

● No plastic water bottles and no plastic straws at the Wanderlust Cafe or any other vendor at the festival

● Recyclable straws available

● The staff does not use plastic, and they don’t limit that pledge to the festival only

● Recycling activities at all events

● Farm to Table Dinners

● Environmental education during the festivals

2. It’s Not Just about the Audience

When organizing events, we mainly think about the target audience. If these are not people prone to mindfulness and environmental awareness, then why bother?

Well, you should still bother.

sustainable event planning

Sustainability is not something you do for the audience. Yes; a sustainable event may boost your reputation and attract more people. However, even if the people from your target audience are used to using plastic straws and plates all the time, that doesn’t mean you should stick to that pattern.

Sustainability is something we’re doing for the environment. A single event produces a lot of waste. When events are being held near watercourses or in the countryside, they have long-term negative impacts over the environment.

In 2012, London set an example during the Olympic Games and that legacy still lives on. The Olympic Park was created on industrial land that used to be contaminated. That became the largest urban parkland in Europe. The Velodrome was built with sustainably-sourced materials. This was the first time ever for the Olympic Games to measure the carbon footprint over the entire project term.

Can you imagine how much waste was prevented?

The audience was not necessarily interested in sustainability; they were just there to watch the games. But the organization team made huge efforts to educate that audience. Events have the power to change the way people think and act. That’s the responsibility that event managers should all take.

Sustainability Is Important. How Do You Achieve It?

Do you know why most event managers are not going down the sustainable route? It’s a pretty complex responsibility to take. But you know what? It pays off. When you educate your audience to produce less waste and you make an effort to support that goal, you’ll have less waste to deal with after the event. We all waste handling is expensive for event organizers, so keep the savings to mind when you make all these efforts.

Here are a few tips to help you on the way to organizing a sustainable event:

1. Plan!

It’s all about the plan you develop. You’ll have to pay attention to every single thing you plan and ask yourself: is it sustainable? Here are few tips that will help you plan a more sustainable event:

● If people from different places are coming, choose a place that’s closer to the airport. The shorter the ride is, the lower the carbon footprint will be. Offer shuttle services for groups of passengers so they won’t have to take cabs.

● Provide bikes so the attendees can explore the area without polluting it.

● Instead of printed invitations, limit yourself to online invitations. Save the paper!

● Don’t use any plastic during the event.

● Set up recycling stations.

● When arranging catering services, support local farmers and small family restaurants.

2. Promote This Aspect of the Event

Your audience should be informed about sustainability before attending the event. Let’s say it’s a wedding and you’re dealing with all kinds of guests who don’t necessarily care about sustainability. You’ll have to inform them about the ban on plastic and all other aspects so they won’t come as a surprise. Plus, you’ll educate them along the way. The invitations may include a small paragraph of text about sustainability.

sustainable event planning

If you’re planning a more general event, such a concert or festival, you’ll have to expand the promotional campaign. At this point, you might consider hiring writers with relevant education from a good essay writing service UK. They will develop unique content about sustainability related to your event, so you’ll be able to inform your audience while attracting more traffic to your website.

3. Manage the Waste

You have to plan the event well enough, so you’ll end up with less waste to manage afterward. If the venue doesn’t have a recycling system, you should develop one. You can have volunteers collecting recyclable items. Provide plenty of recycling bins around and mark them with attention-grabbing signs.

Hey; it won’t be simple. But we’ve been causing too much harm to Earth and it’s time to stop doing that. Every effort matters. The effort of event managers matters even more since they inspire the actions of a large audience. Will you take the sustainability pledge?


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