10 Top Tips for Reducing Your Event's Impact on Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most serious issues affecting the planet today and without urgent action now, it will cause severe and irreversible impacts on the planet, people, and ecosystems.  

With small changes, you can make your event more sustainable and begin to tackle climate issues. Here are 10 top tips on steps you can take towards combating climate change at your next event.

1. Create targets

Start by setting specific, measureable, and attainable targets for making your event sustainable. These will allow for responsible actions throughout the event process.

2. Report on progress

Reporting on your progress toward your sustainability goals encourages communication and let’s everyone know what’s needed to hit the target. After an event, let people know how successful your event was in terms of reducing your carbon footprint.

3. Choose a suitable venue

Choosing a venue with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability will make it easier to reach your goals. Look at issues such as waste practices, catering, and whether electricity is generated from renewable energy sources.

4. Transport

Travelling to and from events can produce high carbon costs. Opt for a venue in an accessible location and encourage your guests to use greener transportation, such as buses, car sharing, and trains, rather than carbon intensive flights. Alternatively, see if you can encourage the option of attending via video conference.

5. Use Local Food Produce

Transporting food can cause huge greenhouse gas emissions, but by using local produce, the food miles can be significantly reduced. It can also help support local communities and showcase the local foods.

6. Communicate sustainability

Use your event to talk and raise awareness about climate issues. This will allow stakeholders to understand the impact of events on climate action and may lead to behavioural changes.

7. Reduce event waste

Try to reduce the amount of waste and consider how it will be disposed of. Provide recycling and composting bins around the event and try to avoid disposable non-recyclable items such as plastic bags and cups.

8. Go paperless

Paper is resource intensive and cutting down on it will reduce carbon consumption. Opt for paper-free communications, encourage the use of electronic tickets, and make sure to recycle any paper that is used.

9. Source sustainable materials

Consider renting items or using materials that can be re-used for future events to reduce the amount of waste. Only giveaway items that are from sustainable materials and can be reused, such as lanyards made from bamboo or t-shirts made from recycled plastic bottles.

10. Consider carbon offsetting

A carbon offset is a way to compensate for your emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. Purchasing carbon offsets can counter the impact of greenhouse gases that cannot be eliminated.