Although the pandemic slowed travel and commerce for a period of time and led to a decrease in global carbon emissions, the world has still been experiencing the increasingly devastating effects of climate change, and the need to address this issue has become more urgent than ever.
The events industry has a crucial role to play when it comes to controlling carbon emissions and making eco-friendly choices, but it can be hard to know where to begin. XLIVE spoke to Nancy Zavada, Founder and President of sustainable event management agency MeetGreen, who shared her advice for planners looking to make sustainable swaps and do their part to keep our environment healthy.
1. Start Small and Grow Your Initiatives Over Time
Zavada’s single biggest tip for planners looking to improve the sustainability of their events is to pick just a couple of things to start doing this year, or this event cycle. “Sustainability is big, and it can be overwhelming,” she says. Instead of trying to tackle every possible issue, start with a few, and do them well.
“Measure your initiatives, get a baseline, communicate out to people what you’ve done on their behalf,” advises Zavada. “Then, for your next event cycle, you can either up the ante with those or take some more things into consideration.” Many people don’t know where to begin when it comes to sustainability, so they end up not doing anything, which is unfortunate. Nobody — including MeetGreen — is perfect, but in Zavada’s words, “just start somewhere.”
2. Eliminate Single-Use Items
We all know that single-use items — particularly plastics — are the antithesis of sustainability. However, many events have switched back to these types of items due to the pandemic and the illusion that they are safer. However, Zavada shares that MeetGreen evaluated the safety of their sustainability practices based on CDC guidelines and concluded that nothing needed to be eliminated or changed as a result of the pandemic.
Disposable plastic water bottles, for example, may actually pose a higher risk than reusable options. “If you decide that you're going to supply water bottles because that's safer, there's still somebody who has moved them and touched them — there are more touchpoints than if you have your own water bottle that you take with you and refill at a refilling station,” notes Zavada. “When it comes to dishware, reusable dishes have to be washed at a safe temperature, so there’s really no difference when it comes to disposable plastic plates.”
It’s also important to get your messaging right and communicate sustainability initiatives in conjunction with safety protocols. Make sure that attendees know why you’ve made the choices you have and that the lack of single-use items, for example, should not lead to an increased risk of viral transmission
3. Leverage Virtual Events
A silver lining of the pandemic has been the proliferation of virtual events and digital engagement options. While Zoom fatigue is real, and everyone is looking forward to attending in-person events, the reality is that they can have a detrimental impact on the planet if we’re not careful. “Air travel alone represents 70 to 85% of the carbon emissions from an event,” says Zavada.
Virtual events, in addition to being more cost-effective and inclusive, provide an opportunity for eventprofs to minimize their carbon footprint and continue connecting their communities if done well. They won’t be the right option for every event, but in-person no longer needs to be — nor should it be — the default.
“In the future,” says Zavada, “event planners and organizers really need to consider things like whether people need to be there in-person, or maybe whether several regional conferences would be feasible instead of one big one. Is networking the only reason or the main reason they're there? Can they see a group of other people while they're there, so they don't have to necessarily fly to different places to meet with those people at different times? I think that things are going change in the future, because people can only pivot so many times back and forth from in-person to virtual.”
4. Strategically Choose Your Destination for In-Person Events
Even when in-person events are the only or best option, planners can still make sustainable choices when it comes to the event destination. “You can’t say that all of New York or all of San Francisco is more sustainable, but there are different venues that are doing a good job,” explains Zavada.
That said, she notes that certain regions generally do a better job, and that the South and the Midwest “make it a little bit tougher to meet sustainably.” Zavada advises that event organizers look at where the bulk of their attendees are coming from and choose a location that’s close by and easily accessible. “If a lot of your attendees are in Chicago, then you should meet close to Chicago,” she says. “There will be less air travel — people may be able to drive, take trains, etc.”
Picking a location halfway across the country may make the prospect of traveling more exciting, but “if you're trying to really make sure that you're saving carbon and money and time, hold the event close to where the group is,” advises Zavada. “When we do a site selection, we look at the three best destinations, both in terms of air travel and the city’s infrastructure to weigh which city would be the best for our groups.”
5. Research Sustainability Initiatives When Venue Sourcing
In addition to selecting a sustainable destination, planners should also consider partnering with venues that are making an effort to go green. Zavada notes that over the past 5-10 years, venues have become increasingly energy efficient, and many are prioritizing sustainability in their buildings. In addition, it’s important to consider their operations, such as whether they use green cleaning products and what their recycling program looks like.
Certain venues or vendors may charge more for green alternatives — a policy that they will hopefully discontinue in the near future — but as a bonus tip, Zavada emphasizes the importance of also weighing the cost savings of sustainable products and services.
“If something might be more expensive at a sustainable event, look at how much you're saving by not using water bottles or by serving a plant-based meal, for example,” she says. “There should still be savings that balance our or even outweigh any added costs.”