LEADING BY EXAMPLE: 7 WAYS TO TURN YOUR EVENT INTO A SUSTAINABILITY SUCCESS STORY

By Charlotte Nicholson

As the urgency of climate change becomes increasingly evident, the question on many event organizers’ minds is: how can we make our events more environmentally friendly? In an era where consumers are choosing to support businesses and experiences that align with their values, it is the perfect time to audit your operations and lead by example by integrating sustainable practices into your event.

In recent years, the demand for eco-friendly initiatives has grown exponentially. Attendees are more conscious than ever about the environmental impact of events; however, event organizers often feel constrained by a lack of time, budget, or resources to make meaningful changes.

Tackling sustainability can seem daunting and overwhelming. Events face numerous environmental challenges, such as waste generation, energy consumption, water usage, and their overall carbon footprint. While the burden of reducing environmental impact often falls on attendees - bring your own water bottle, ride your bike, etc. - the larger responsibility lies with event organizers to create an atmosphere where sustainability is a top priority in all aspects.

As you organize your next event, consider how you can incorporate sustainable practices to not only reduce environmental impact but also inspire attendees and fellow event organizers to follow suit. Here are seven ways to make your event more sustainable and help pave the way for a greener, more responsible future.

1. Waste Reduction and Management

Waste at festivals and events is unavoidable, and it is up to event organizers to ensure waste is managed in the most environmentally conscious way possible.

The first rule when it comes to waste at your event is to ensure there are more than enough waste stations around the event site. Overflowing garbage cans and litter is not conducive to a sustainable event.

Adding sorting stations to your event can increase public education and awareness about the waste they are creating. Each waste station should include a separate bin for garbage, recycling, and compost, with clear signage instructing attendees on how to sort their waste. While this tactic is not foolproof and rarely works perfectly, it encourages attendees to pause and consider their impact. You can expand your waste stations by having a volunteer “Green Team’’ operating each waste station, ensuring proper sorting.

Mandate biodegradable and recyclable materials wherever possible, especially in food vendor guidelines. Many municipalities have existing food vendor guidelines that you can apply to your event or build upon. These guidelines could include:

• No plastic cutlery (opt for bamboo or wooden cutlery options)

• No styrofoam (paper-based is ideal)

• Clear waste disposal guidelines for vendors

Companies like Boxed Water and PATH are leading the charge by opting for paperbased cartons and BPA-free aluminum bottles instead of plastic water bottles.

Limit handouts that turn into waste. If you have community or sponsor activations at your event, prohibit brochure or pamphlet distribution. Remove paper programs from your event and transfer the information to an app that attendees can use on their phones. Food waste is another significant challenge in the event industry. Globally, approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted. Whether you are giving out free food at a community event, providing a catered meal to conference attendees, or running a food vendor program at a festival, food waste is inevitable. During the event planning process, calculate realistic consumption estimates and build a plan for what to do with any food waste. Many charities, food banks, or soup kitchens will accept food donations on the spot, so develop a plan with them in advance where possible. Food rescue organizations, such as Second Harvest in Canada or Food Rescue US, find surplus, edible food that businesses and events can’t use and distribute it to people in need within the local community. Food rescuing helps divert food waste from landfills while also supporting local communities facing food insecurity.

2. Transportation

Community surveys often highlight active transportation as a top priority. As more communities, and their residents and visitors, embrace sustainable travel options, events should be no exception. Communication is key. Strongly encourage your attendees to use active transportation - such as walking, biking, or scootering - or sustainable transportation like public transit or carpooling - to travel to your event. Promote this message through social media, email reminders, and your event website. Help attendees plan out their travels by publishing a map with the key bike lanes that lead to your event site, along with the closest public transit stops and routes. Highlight the attendee benefits: not only are they reducing their carbon footprint, but their experience of accessing and leaving the venue will also be improved. For example, someone who biked or walked to a holiday fireworks show will arrive home before some vehicles have even left the parking lot.

So, you’ve encouraged active transportation to your event, but what services are you offering once they arrive? Ensure you are providing a safe and secure area for bike storage, ideally with bike racks within or just outside the event site. An emerging trend is the bike valet, which operates like a coat check for bikes and other mobility devices. Valet staff or volunteers park bicycles for attendees, offering peace of mind for cyclists while they enjoy the event. Some bike valets also accept strollers, providing the opportunity to help parents feel more comfortable and welcome at the event.

These initiatives offer a positive benefit to more than just the environment; they help event organizers too, alleviating pressure on parking and traffic congestion in and around the venue. For instance, a single transit bus can hold approximately 30 people, which would otherwise require 15 vehicles if traveling in pairs.

There is no better way to generate enthusiasm than by providing incentives. Partner with local transit to offer ride discounts to your event ticket holders, run contests, or have your vendors provide a discount to attendees who show their bike helmet.

Coachella, which takes place in the middle of a California desert, has done a fantastic job of preventing 125,000+ daily attendees from driving their own vehicles to the venue. In addition to developing an impressive shuttle system, they have taken it a step further by incentivizing carpooling. In 2007, they launched Carpoolchella, an annual contest where attendees in vehicles with four or more passengers have the chance to win prizes such as food vouchers, backstage passes, and a grand prize of lifetime VIP tickets.

3. Water Consumption

Water conservation on a large scale can be a challenging task and is one that often gets overlooked in event planning. Water is a critical component of an event’s many on-site facilities: toilets, laundry, bottle refill stations, hoses, food and beverage areas, and more.

Start by conducting a full audit of your event’s water usage to identify areas for conservation and efficiency. Use this audit to develop a plan outlining specific steps to reduce water consumption.

Install water bottle refill stations and actively encourage attendees to bring reusable water bottles. Consider prohibiting the sale of plastic water bottles at your event and offer reusable water bottles for purchase instead.

Collaborate with your venue or municipality to discuss and implement greener water usage practices. Seeking their expertise and support can help you develop effective strategies for water conservation.

Adapt these tips to suit your event, as strategies will vary based on location and venue type.

4. Sustainable Procurement

A successful event relies on a multitude of vendors and suppliers - production, tent and event rental providers, food and beverage services, ticketing, and more. To truly achieve sustainability, it is important to source sustainable vendors and suppliers.

Incorporate sustainability pillars into your procurement policies. If you evaluate proposals and quotes based on cost alone, consider diversifying evaluation criteria to include sustainability. Sourcing local goods and services is a great place to start.

This approach creates a trickle effect where vendors and suppliers who want to participate in your event or receive your business will be motivated to adopt sustainable practices. Over time, this not only elevates the sustainability of your event and increases supplier options, but also encourages broader industry change.

5. Energy Efficiency

The most effective ways to improve energy efficiency at your event are to reduce energy usage and incorporate green energy solutions wherever possible.

Start with the basics: use LED lighting, opt for electric vehicles and buses for shuttles and transport, shut off or turn down systems when not in use (technology, lighting, thermostats, equipment, etc.), and limit generator usage.

Take it a step further and explore creative solutions: is there an opportunity to install solar panels at your venue? Or, consider engaging attendees with interactive activations, such as stationary bikes or seesaws that power a smoothie blender or a phone charging station.

At Glastonbury in 2023, organizers worked with Octopus Energy to erect a 28-meter wind turbine on the festival site. The turbine generated up to 300kWh of power each day, supplying clean energy to food vendors via a mini grid.

Your organization can purchase carbon offset credits to counteract the emissions the event produces. Consider also giving your attendees the option to offset emissions from their own travel to the event by adding a carbon offset purchase option on your ticketing system.

6. Engagement and Education

Effective communication and engagement are key to the success of any new program. Consumers and event attendees are increasingly seeking products and experiences that align with their values. By actively promoting your organization’s efforts in reducing environmental impacts, you will earn more respect and interest from your audience and potential attendees. Empower your staff and volunteers by involving them in these efforts. When they feel they are making a difference, they will take pride in being a part of the event. Run an awareness campaign in advance of your event that highlights the sustainability initiatives you are building into the event. In addition to educating your attendees about environmental impacts related to events, this also contributes to a positive brand image for your event. Consider using various channels like social media, newsletters, and your event website to promote. Share behind-thescenes content, success stories, and practical tips on how attendees can support your sustainability efforts.

7. Evaluation

To ensure your sustainability practices are impactful and continue to evolve, it is important to evaluate them annually. As your event approaches and you are in the throes of planning, sustainability initiatives may naturally take a backseat to other logistics that take priority. Before reaching this point, assign someone from your team to manage and assess your sustainability efforts on-site. This person can monitor the implementation of the initiatives, make real-time adjustments, and note areas for improvement. This will contribute to the post-event assessment.

It is also important to gather feedback from your attendees to understand their perspective of the programs. Did they notice them? Did it enhance their event experience? Are they more inclined to attend next year because of these efforts? This information can be collected via on-site surveys or post-event email surveys.

Once your evaluation is complete, compile and share the positive outcomes and statistics. Publicly celebrating your successes will boost your event’s reputation and can inspire others in the industry to follow suit.

A few final tips to remember when working toward a more sustainable event:

• If you have a small team and are overwhelmed at this challenge, start small. Begin by addressing one sustainability issue in the first year. Focus on effectively building that one change into your event, then develop a five-year plan for gradual implementation of additional initiatives.

• To overcome the cost barrier of incorporating sustainability initiatives into your event, seek a sustainability partner. Collaborating with a company aligned with your mission and values provides high-profile benefits to both your event and the partner.

• Extend your efforts beyond the event itself by integrating sustainability values into your organization year-round. To drive meaningful change, your operations behind the scenes need to reflect what you are promoting publicly.

In today’s world, incorporating sustainable practices into event planning is not just a trend but a necessity. By prioritizing sustainability in the event planning process, you will reduce your event’s environmental footprint while at the same time inspiring positive change in our industry and communities.

Charlotte Nicholson is the Civic Engagement & Events Coordinator for the City of Charlottetown in Prince Edward Island, Canada. She is a graduate of Holland College’s Event Management program and has spent the last eight years helping to build Charlottetown as a vibrant place to live and to visit.

Article Sources/References:

• www.visitscotland.org/events/ advice-materials/sustainability

• www.charlottetown.ca/events___initiatives/event_attraction___hosting/ sustainable_events_manual

• www.bizbash.com/production-strategy/ experiential-marketing-activations-sponsorships/media-gallery/22847676/ why-were-these-water-bottles-all-overcoachella-this-year

• www.wfp.org/stories/5-facts-about-foodwaste-and-hunger https://secondharvest.ca/

• foodrescue.us/

• www.desertsun.com/story/life/entertainment/music/coachella/2015/04/19/ recycling-bins-sustainability-polar-bear-coachella/26022817/

• octopus.energy/blog/the-turbine-thatrocked-glastonbury-2023/