July 22, 2024
These days, it's now more important than ever to take better care of our Earth. This includes planning events that create a positive impact on the environment. Every week, thousands of events are being held but not all of them adhere to sustainable practices. With that being said, in this article, you’ll learn a thing or two of the many sustainable event ideas to implement for your next event.
Sustainable events are events planned in ways that positively impact society, the environment or the economy. This includes using eco-friendly items and decorations, as well as implementing sustainable practices
So if you’re interested in getting into eco-friendly event planning, here are some sustainable event ideas for your next event!
One of the ways to run sustainable events would be to go digital or hybrid. This includes hosting online events instead of physical meet-ups. Going digital or hybrid will help reduce the overall carbon footprint as it will cut down the attendees travelling to the event and the usage of physical resources.
For instance, you can consider hosting online seminars, conferences or meetings using online tools and software such as Google Meet or Zoom. This is accessible to anyone around the world as well, making it easy and more convenient for people to join without having the need to travel.
Choosing a venue for your event is crucial. If you wish to run a sustainable event, you should consider scouting for eco-friendly venues instead of the normal ones.
The reason why eco-friendly event venues will be a great option is that they usually make use of renewable energy and have various activities that support environmental conservation through initiatives such as solar panels and recycling programs.
Another one of the common green event ideas is to encourage eco-friendly travel options. This helps to reduce overall carbon emissions from the use of vehicles such as cars or buses.
A few of the great examples of sustainable events would be to provide car-pooling or shuttle services for attendees. Besides that, you could also encourage attendees to use public transport rather than driving their own vehicles.
Skip the use of printed materials and go digital instead. Not only will this save paper, but it also helps to reduce waste. Although you can recycle the paper, not many will do so. Hence, it’s best to just go digital and send out e-invitations instead.
Some of the ways you could send digital invitations would be through email, social media or software and tools that offer e-invitations. This is one of the ways to implement sustainability to your event.
Partnering with any notable sustainable brands and vendors is also one of the sustainable event ideas that’s impactful. Nothing’s better than working together with brands or vendors who have the same sustainable goals.
For instance, you can partner with vendors who create decorations using recyclable materials or engage with catering services which offer organic food options for the attendees. This not only promotes eco-conscious practices but also supports businesses dedicated to environmental stewardship.
Sustainability is all about reducing the amount of waste or resources being used. Taking advantage of eco-friendly marketing would help to reduce waste.
For instance, to run successful sustainable events, you can consider modern advertising instead of traditional methods. Instead, use digital flyers, email marketing campaigns, online advertising and social media for your event marketing which proven to be a sustainable event idea.
Get on the bandwagon of reducing the use of anything plastic by hosting a plastic-free event! The lesser the amount of plastic used, the lesser the pollution on the Earth.
Plastic free events are a great initiative for a sustainable event idea. Instead of using plastic utensils or cups, consider using biodegradable ones or those that can be re-used during the event.
You can also consider sustainable moves through the lighting and equipment into your event planning. This practice would help to reduce overall energy consumption at your event as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The many ways you could consider while planning your event would be to use LED lights or make use of any equipment powered by solar to minimize the environmental impact. These measures not only support sustainability but also contribute to creating a greener event experience.
You could also make use of technology by setting up your entire event with an app instead of the regular printed materials. There are plenty of event apps available for you to include details of the event such as the event brochure, maps or event schedule.
If you have the budget, you can hire a company to create an app dedicated only to your event. Otherwise, you can also consider using any ready-made event apps available in the market. This is one of the many sustainable ideas to consider for your next event.
One of the ways to incorporate a sustainable event idea is by implementing carbon offsetting, you can neutralise the environmental impact of your event. You can calculate the overall carbon footprint to determine the total CO2 emissions caused by your event.
One way is to purchase carbon credits based on the amount of CO2 emissions produced by your event.
Without a doubt, encouraging your attendees to recycle during your event is one of the most effective sustainable event ideas. It’s simple and easy to implement since you only need to let them know all items should be disposed of appropriately.
During your sustainable event, you could set up proper recycling bins so your attendees can recycle all the waste themselves. Do not forget to let them know during your event that you have recycling bins readily available.
Instead of partnering with a franchise or international restaurant, consider working with local food suppliers to support the local economy. This approach is highly effective for sustainable event planning.
Source your ingredients from local farmers or food and beverage vendors for your event to ensure freshness and support community businesses.
Food waste is one of the major wastes during events. This is because, during events, the food will be ordered in bulk based on the estimated number of attendees. Sometimes, not all of the attendees show up as well, causing even more food wastage.
So, you have to consider minimising food waste such as ordering only individual portions or ordering smaller portions. Take note of this sustainable event idea for your next event planning.
During events, having leftovers is inevitable. One of the sustainable event ideas is to ensure that all leftovers are donated to appropriate charities or communities in need.
You can collaborate or partner with food banks or any charitable organizations to facilitate smooth donation of excess food.
Instead of the usual trophies or prizes that are given during events, consider a sustainable prize instead which supports environmental causes directly.
Consider engaging with companies that specialize in creating eco-friendly prizes for your event.
Think twice before you purchase new materials or decorations for your event. One of the effective sustainable event ideas is that you can reuse old or second-hand decorations instead to reduce overall resource consumption.
You can use reusable tablecloths and decorations made from sustainable materials to further support eco-friendly practice in your event.
To avoid the props or any production materials being dumped into unnecessary landfills, you can recycle them instead.
Simply engage with companies that offer recycling services so they can do all the work for you. This is one of the easiest sustainable event ideas to consider.
Did you know leftover flowers contribute to waste after events? Instead of using flowers for your event, why not consider potted plants instead? Plants are also a great way to make your event more lively and attractive.
Opt for plants which can easily be donated to charity or other communities which benefit from them instead of them going to waste. Do consider this effective sustainable event idea to level up your event planning game.
Effective sustainable event idea is to ditch your usual printers and consider printers which use less chemicals and energy. These days, there are plenty of eco-friendly printer options in the market which produce the same quality as how a normal printer would.
Try renting a printer which uses only eco-friendly ink and paper. It’s not necessary to purchase a whole new printer unless you need to use them regularly.
To conclude, implementing these sustainable event ideas for your events could positively impact the environment. By practising these sustainable ways, your company could also gain recognition as well for caring about the environment.
Consider partnering with professional event management and event planning company like The Magnet Group to implement these sustainable ideas seamlessly for your next event! Contact us today and let the expert plan your event successfully!
