How to Make Your Next Event Carbon Neutral

March 29, 2021 0 By Guest Author

We have never been more acutely aware of the need to adopt environmentally friendly practices than we are now.

It is necessary to reduce our carbon footprint in every aspect of our lives. Because of this, the next time you plan an event, you should consider what steps you can take to minimize the environmental impact.

While this is important for anyone planning an event, people working in the event planning industry should be especially mindful of methods for reducing waste while not diminishing the experience for attendees.

Environmentally Friendly Does Not Have to Mean Stripped Down

When considering ways to keep your event carbon neutral, you should not be thinking that the occasion has to minimalist. You can still throw a stunning event that doesn’t end up harming the environment. For decorations, consider items made from recycled materials.

There are plenty of stunning decorations made by people who specialize in repurposing materials. Many of these items you would never know were made with mother nature in mind. After the event is over, consider keeping decorations that can be used again if you have space. 

If you don’t, you can always donate or sell them to another event planner or ask the original artist to repurpose them again and get another unique item for your next event. Anything you can do with them rather than throw them out will be a move in the right direction.

Carefully Choose Your Venue

More and more event venues are committing to eco-friendly practices. There are many advantages for venues to commit to environmentally friendly practices. While initial installation fees may be high, facilities that are powered by solar panels on the roof can save a ton of money in the long run on energy costs. The same goes for things like energy-efficient lighting and low-flow toilets.

Recycling is also much cheaper than garbage disposal for buildings. Having plenty of dedicated recycling bins around the venue can really pay off well.

In addition to cost-saving and the feeling of knowing they are helping the environment, venue owners who make a commitment to go green can also advertise their efforts and appeal to a wider clientele. Should they so choose, they could even decide to charge more for their venue, and people would pay the extra to go green.

As an event planner, you can use the same tactic by advertising your company as an environmentally conscious choice.

When choosing a location, you also have to consider travel. The most environmentally friendly venue might not be the best choice if your attendees will have to travel much further to get there than they would have to travel to the second-best choice.

The Same Goes for Vendors

When planning an event, you aren’t working alone. You are likely going to be working with several different vendors to provide all of the services that your client desires. Make sure to choose vendors who have the same commitment to eco-friendly practices.

Another thing to keep in mind when working with vendors is to make sure they purchase event vendor insurance. Your own event insurance does not cover accidents caused by their practices.

Zero Plastic

Plastics are terrible environmental waste. Committing to a plastic-free event is one of the simplest and best things that you can do to make sure your event is as environmentally friendly as possible.

One of the biggest wastes of plastic is offering bottled water. There are plenty of other ways to provide fresh, clean, refreshing water for the guests to drink. Depending on the setup of your venue and where it is located, there are multiple options that involve running a filtration system through the water tap to provide a cool, thirst-quenching drink. You can also use fruits or cucumber to flavor simple tap water.

Plastic silverware is another area of incredible waste. Instead, consider the type of event and venue and either use real silverware or biodegradable options, depending on what best fits the occasion.

Tip of the Iceberg

These are just a few of the things you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your event. There are plenty of other options as well, such as paperless ticketing, holding remote meetings for planning sessions, and setting up shuttle services to the event. Not only is going green good for the environment, but it is also good for business.

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