How do you make your conferences environmentally responsible?

1 Choose a green venue

One of the first steps to make your conferences environmentally responsible is to choose a venue that has eco-friendly policies and practices. Look for venues that use renewable energy, have efficient lighting and heating systems, offer recycling and composting bins, and provide water refill stations. You can also ask the venue about their environmental certifications, such as LEED or Green Globe, and their sustainability goals and initiatives.

2 Reduce travel impact

Travel is often a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions for conferences, particularly when attendees come from distant locations. To reduce the environmental impact of travel, you can choose a central and accessible location to minimize air travel and long-distance driving. Furthermore, you can encourage attendees to use public transportation, carpooling, or biking to get to the venue. Additionally, incentives such as discounts, vouchers, or prizes can be provided for those who choose low-carbon modes of transportation. Finally, you can offset any remaining travel emissions by supporting carbon reduction projects like reforestation, renewable energy, or energy efficiency.

3 Go paperless

Another way to make your conferences environmentally responsible is to go paperless as much as possible. Instead of printing brochures, flyers, agendas, and other materials, you can use digital platforms to share information and communicate with attendees. For example, you can create a website or an app for your conference that contains all the relevant details, such as the schedule, speakers, sponsors, and maps. You can also use online registration, ticketing, and feedback systems to avoid paper forms and receipts. If you need to print some materials, use recycled paper and eco-friendly ink.

4 Minimize waste

Conferences can generate a lot of waste, from food and beverage packaging to banners and badges. To minimize waste, you can opt for reusable or biodegradable items, such as cups, plates, cutlery, and napkins. Additionally, provide attendees with reusable bags, bottles, and pens. After the conference, you should donate or recycle any leftover food, materials, or equipment. Finally, use digital or recyclable signage instead of plastic or vinyl banners. By adopting these practices, you can reduce the amount of waste generated by conferences.

5 Promote green behavior

Finally, you can make your conferences environmentally responsible by promoting green behavior among your attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff. This is done by communicating your environmental goals and expectations before, during, and after the conference, educating your audience about the environmental issues and solutions related to your conference theme or industry, engaging participants in green activities that raise awareness and inspire action, and recognizing and rewarding the best practices and achievements of your green champions. Doing so not only contributes to a more sustainable future but also provides cost savings, enhanced reputation, and increased satisfaction among stakeholders.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?