Short term vs long term outcomes: Get the balance right

As businesses worldwide adapt and adjust to functioning in a pandemic, health and safety has become an obvious priority. The Event Greening Forum (EGF) urges you to implement these changes thoughtfully – with a view not only to what you can achieve today, but how your actions will affect your business and the environment in the future.

“ S ustainability is a pressing concern and it needs our attention. The stress that we have been living through during the pandemic has made it hard to think about much else – but we need to. Our health not only depends on stopping the spread of Covid-19, it depends on having a healthy planet that can support the lives and livelihoods of all people far into the future,” said Greg McManus, chair of EGF. The EGF is a non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable practices in business events, across the full value chain and extending to business tourism. The EGF held a webinar on hosting Sustainable events in an uncertain future on 27 August, where the issue of balancing safety and sustainability was discussed in detail. One significant concern is the rapid increase in the use of disposable, single-use items that are not being discarded responsibly.

According to Green Matters*, an estimated 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are being used every

month around the world. These items are not biodegradable, and through incorrect or ineffective disposal methods they are increasingly showing up in natural environments where they pose a threat to the wildlife – and can prove fatal. Re-usable cloth masks are just as effective as disposable ones for the general public use and have the benefit of avoiding unnecessary waste.

Another area where disposable plastic waste volumes are expected to increase is around food service at events. Single service plastic packaging is often a go-to in this scenario because it is cost-effective and perceived as safer than other alternatives.

“But reusable items can be safely used if handled responsibly,” says McManus.

“Alternatively, an event organiser or venue can use compostable food packaging and compost it with the food waste, or recyclable options while providing an easy-to-use recycling system onsite to ensure this benefit is realised.

“My point is that there are many options, and it is worth exploring them from an environmental perspective as well as on cost and practicality.”

To access the webinar recording for more tips on how to hold a safe and sustainable event, please visit www.eventgreening.co.za.

The next webinar will be held later this month, so look out for date and theme on the website too.

*https://www.greenmatters.com/p/ face-masks-gloves-litter-coronavirus

For more information about the Event Greening Forum, contact Pippa Naude t: +27 (0)74 369 6369 e: pippa@eventgreening.co.za