by Lately, we’ve been witnessing a large number of events, mostly in the professional sphere, being organized thanks to a large number of companies that have come up and the ever-booming services industries. Unlike marriages and other personal occasions, professional events are not pollution-causing because of their small gathering and a sophisticated code of conduct. Yet there are certain things like the loud music and the huge plastic-waste dump after the party that might become a nuisance to the ecology around. And since these events are taking place in large numbers nowadays, you can well imagine the plight of the environment.
Now, certain factors can’t be controlled like the baseline volume of the music/speeches taking place during the event or the attitude of guests towards the environment (whether they throw the garbage in the bins or anywhere they like). But the good news is that many other factors can be addressed that would help you organize an eco-friendly event. In this article, we would be discussing various approaches to organizing an environment-friendly event.
1. Strategy is the key
Every event is different with different requirements, venues, and management. Since you’re inclined to organize the event more sustainably, remember to plan properly. Without planning, you will end up either causing the normal environmental damage, or you’ll end up spending a lot more than your budget. Think about the various kinds of environmental pollution, namely air pollution, noise pollution, plastic wastes, and water pollution. Now figure out ways where you can cut down on these various facets while conducting your event.
2. Start With an Eco-Friendly Invitation
If your definition of an eco-friendly invitation is a printed card made of paper, then you need to think again. The usage of paper for invitations does have an environmental implication. Around 80,000 to 1,60,000 trees are cut down every day for the production of paper. Believe us, you don’t want to have a share in that. Instead, with the world moving towards a digital era, you can make use of the technology for inviting people.
Apart from not contributing to pollution, digital invites have many other advantages. Firstly, they help you cut down on costs. You can use an online free invitation maker to customize and create an invite easily. The other benefit is that you don’t necessarily need a static invite. Instead, you can make an appealing video using the templates that are available. If making a video using templates sounds difficult, we guarantee – it isn’t.
3. Noise Management
Managing noise is highly subjective and depends upon the kind of event one is organizing. Certain tips will come in handy while planning this step. If your event is going to be noise-intensive (with a lot of music and stuff), it’s better to choose a closed venue than an open-air one. This way, you can contain the sound inside without letting it disturb the atmosphere outside.
Another thing to keep in mind is the size of the venue pertaining to the number of guests. If the number of guests is low, it’d be better to have a smaller venue so that you can keep the volumes lower.
4. Recyclable Decoration Material Over Single-Use Material
Using paper ribbons and plastic balloons is a very common practice while decorating the venue. Think about the various alternatives you can use instead of these two non-reusable resources. For starters, using fairy lights is more conservationist-like and definitely more attractive than balloons or ribbons. Biodegradable confetti (confetti) is a widely used substitute for normal confetti.
5. Let the Guests Know
If you inform the guests beforehand, then it might become a collective effort on their part too to make the event as eco-friendly as possible. If gifts are involved, maybe you can ask them to only use recyclable packing for gifts or no packaging at all. Also, since it is a professional event, having it ecologically would create a better perception in their minds about your company.
6. Cutlery is a Major Factor
To make it easy for themselves, organizers usually use paper or plastic cutlery as it is available easily and cheaply. Since everyone would generously use cutlery at the event, it is better to use something which doesn’t inflict any damage to the environment. PLA (Polylactic acid) and bagasse cutlery are a recent invention and a great, non-polluting alternative to generic cutlery.
7. If There’s Waste, Aim for the Organic One
If you know that you’ve used all avenues to cut down on pollution, but there’s still going to be an accumulation of waste, make sure that most of it is organic in nature. Organic waste can be converted into compost, which is used for soil enrichment. Disposal of organic waste would also be relatively cheaper.
8. Dustbin Management
The placements and the number of dustbins at an event are crucial factors leading the event ecologically. For easy disposal, have differently colored dustbins for dry and wet waste. And make sure that it is clearly visible through the design which bin entails dry waste and which bin is for wet waste. If your gathering is in open-air, it is better to have more number of dustbins because people are more inclined to throw waste anywhere if they don’t see a dustbin nearby, especially in an open venue.
9. Go for Ecological Lighting
If you’ve envisaged that a lot of electricity will be spent on lighting, it is indeed better to go for ecological options. Certain venues have solar panels so that electricity consumption is reduced. We recommend you choose such venues as they would also definitely be cost-friendlier.
10. For Huge Events, Go Digital
If your guest list is huge and entails inviting people through advertisements, we advise you to go digital. Getting advertisements printed on flyers and newspapers have two loopholes that Digital doesn’t. Firstly, printing ads is an unnecessary burden on the environment. And secondly, you can’t be sure of the number of people who would be coming for the event.
Using the digital medium for advertising would give you a proper count of the people (through registrations) who’d be coming for the event. And honestly, Facebook video ads are any day more attractive than printed flyers.
These are the key pointers that you should keep in mind while aiming for an eco-friendly event. But this list is not exhaustive. Like we said before, certain things differ from event to event. Therefore, it’s better to think about other aspects from every perspective before getting on with the execution part.
