Earth Day 2019: Tips to make your meetings and events greener
Earth Day falls on April 22nd, and it is a great reminder for us to take steps towards a greener way of life.
As we spend a large number of hours at work, it makes sense to extend this philosophy to the workplace. So whether you have regular meetings or host events, we have put together a list of tips, especially for Earth Day. And they will all help to make your company greener.
Earth Day Tips for Greener Meetings and Events
Meetings
If the weather is hot and you are due to sit in a stifling room for a couple of hours, think ahead. Rather than waste energy by using the air-conditioning, close the blinds or curtains the night before. This keeps the room cool. By contrast, if the weather is cold, don’t crank up the heating at the last minute to heat up the room. Turn it on low as soon as you get to work. This is a more efficient way of using energy.
Have you seen those new plastic cups designed for water coolers with a pointed edged base? You cannot stand them up. Plastic cups are bad enough as it is. Ask your staff to bring in their own water bottles so that they can refill them from water coolers or water jugs. Likewise, if serving tea and coffee, request that staff members bring in their own travel mugs or mugs to drink from. Aim for zero waste.
Cut the use of paper by going 100% online and using digital formats. You can have a totally green meeting by creating document kits which your employees simply have to download to view. All the documents can be hosted online and accessed at any time. This also goes for any welcome packs or minutes at the end of the meeting. Even the points of the meeting can be done on a PowerPoint.
Events
Ditch paper tickets and get guests to digitally sign in to the event. It might not seem like a lot but if you have 10,000 people at your event then paper tickets can still end on the streets like litter.
Do not serve any kind of bottled water at the event. Instead, use water jugs and only fill them if requested. Remember, water is a precious commodity too.
If serving food, make it bite-sized hors d’oeuvres that can be eaten in one mouthful and don’t need any utensils. This not only cuts down on any plastic knives, forks and plates but also the energy required for washing up.
Choose a location that your attendees can easily reach by public transport. Or, if the venue you have chosen is inaccessible, then think about laying on transport for your guests. Minibuses or coaches that pick up from regular collection points not only guarantees attendence but encourages those who might want a tipple or two.
General Tips for Earth Day 2019
Earth Day may only happen once a year but there are lots of things we can do every day to help preserve nature and cut down on waste and pollution. Simple things that make a huge difference.
- Conserve water – install a water butt in your garden and use the rainfall to water plants.
- Plant wildflowers in a small area of your garden.
- Put seeds out for the birds.
- Plant flowers that attract bees (daisy and sage) and butterflies (cornflower and lavender).
- Organise a litter collection in your local area.
- Cut back on the amount of plastic you buy and recycle and reuse whenever you can.
- Compost vegetable and garden cuttings and kitchen scraps.
- Take old clothes to charity shops or donate to homeless shelters.
- Old duvets, towels and sleeping bags can be donated to dogs and cat rescue homes.
Earth Day is once a year, but we hope we’ve shown you that living a greener life is possible 365 days of the year.
