Green Events: Steps to Take to Have Eco-Friendly Gatherings

With the world stepping into more awareness about how we use resources, it’s important to have a few options to make your event green. Here, you’re going to find a few steps to plan eco-friendly gatherings down to the cutlery!

What is a “Green Event”?

According to zkipster, green or sustainable events are those that take into consideration the use of limited resources and the impact of those resources on future generations.

What this means is that you are considering how water, fuel, and natural resources are changed or altered by your event. There’s a big question that you need to ask yourself if you want to have a green event: how will the future be impacted? 

Another thing that is considered is your carbon footprint. Just like we have our individual carbon footprints, each event has its own carbon footprint as well.

Provide the Appropriate Waste Bins

Believe it or not, when you have the right resources, people are more likely to make the right choices! 

Having the proper waste bins available is a great way to encourage green habits from your guests. There are a few ways that you can help guests.

Have Proper Signage

Make sure that there are signs ready with each of the waste bins. From glass to regular waste, have examples posted in both text and image formats to make things easier. 

Maintain Waste Collection

Personally, one of the biggest turnoffs for being green is a full wastebasket that hasn’t been maintained. To make sure that your guests are following eco protocol, ensure that your bins are maintained and cleaned regularly throughout the event.

Use Eco-Friendly Supplies

While sometimes more expensive, there are many brands that are working to provide party or event supplies that are biodegradable. Take a look at any store or online supplies shop, and you’ll find products like bamboo or even some that can be used in your personal composter!

Avoid Single-Use Items

Single-use items are huge environmental disruptors because of the carbon footprint that they have. Compared to things like biodegradable plates or bamboo utensils, single-use items require additional sanitation after being cleaned. 

This sanitation requires a large machine that uses a lot of heat and pressure to clean the dishes. Definitely not a good environmental impact.

Be Conscious of Decorations

While everyone loves the fun of a good streamer or the joy that a balloon brings, these items aren’t always eco-friendly. A way that you can help decrease your event footprint is to use things like wooden flowers, reusable decorations, and thrifted finds.

A thrift store can be your best friend to find accent carpets, textile decorations, and much more.

Utilize Technology

More often than not, we use paper products as a way to invite people to events. While paper is a true classic, with the growth that we have had in technology, it’s time to update the event invitation process.

Email Lists are Still Valuable

While you may have the physical addresses of all of your guests, do you have their email addresses as well? This is where having a full registration kiosk and a well-fleshed-out registration form can come in handy.

You want your guests to feel welcome and invited to your event, so use things like Google Forms for registrations, then there are multiple event invitation websites with multiple designs. You could even create your own with a program called Canva. 

Send a polite and welcoming email, and voila, you have cut down your footprint exponentially.

Scanners and Guest Tracking

Anyone who is used to going to events probably loves the nostalgia of getting a paper band around the wrist to show that they have registered. It’s time to move past paper and utilize stamping systems or virtual tracking.

Most guests are going to have tickets or invitations on their phones. Be ready with a scanner system that tracks either bar codes or QR codes that have been individually crafted for each guest. This reduces waste and keeps your guest list nice and neat.

Prevent Food Waste

One of the largest issues that event hosts run into is the amount of food waste that comes into play. There’s no one reason for this kind of waste because each reason can be different for each person.

However, it is preventable. With your registration form, take the time to ask for food preferences and, if need be, connect with a local business that helps with food waste.

Go Green Today

Instead of waiting to make the decision to go green for your event, start now and see how your event changes, blossoms, and grows. Don’t forget to include the fact that your event is green in your marketing, and you are ready to go.