Organising a meeting in a manner designed to minimize negative impacts on the environment can be challenging as well as rewarding.
Such events, also known as green meetings, can serve to educate and inspire members of the business community to adopt sustainable practices while providing a significant boost to your company’s image.
Basic power-saving practices, a menu comprising locally-sourced food, and the use of recyclables can go a long way towards making your meeting green.
In addition, good organization can help you manage resources more efficiently and ensure that the location of your meeting is eco-friendly.
Finally, partnerships with conservation and waste management programs can help you prepare a corporate sustainability policy.
Power-Saving and Recyclables
Holding your meeting at a venue that implements energy efficiency measures, complies with green building standards, and uses renewable energy resources can go a long way towards making your meeting a green event.
Such measures include the use of energy-efficient lightbulbs and the setting of lighting levels to the minimum level required to promote comfort and visibility.
In addition, the use of natural light and ventilation can reduce the burden on technology and help you reduce your carbon footprint.
Water-saving devices, such as low-flush and dual flush toilets and faucets that automatically shut down can help conserve water.
Finally, the use of recyclable or biodegradable materials, such as cutlery and decoration materials, can help you reduce waste.
Green Organization
Simple common-sense organization can help make your meeting eco-friendly. For example, ensuring that your venue is close to public transit can ensure that guests don’t have to rely on cars to attend the event.
Additionally, enabling online registration and electronic distribution of materials and handouts can help you minimize your use of paper.
You can also conserve resources by minimizing prize distribution and giveaways and by making use of reusable badges.
Such green practices can also have the added benefit of helping you and your guests reduce your organizing costs. After all, printing material and paying for parking can be costly.
Locally-Sourced Food
Food is often served at events. You can make yours green by hiring caterers that only use locally-sourced ingredients or choosing a hotel whose kitchen only serves dishes made of local ingredients.
Such practices can help reduce the burden on the supply chain and, by extension, your impact on the environment.
A menu comprising locally-sourced food and ingredients can also promote the idea of being green by going local.
In addition, using fair-trade labelled products such as coffee, tea, and sugar can help support sustainable producers and showcase your organization’s commitment to sustainability.
Partnerships with Programs
Partnering with government and non-profit programs aimed at water and energy conservation, recycling, and waste management can help you learn about the deeper issues underlying conservation.
Such knowledge can, in turn, help you develop a strong corporate sustainability policy, which can then be applied to your meetings and events. Partnering with such programs can also help you demonstrate your commitment to the community.