Sustainability
[suh-stey-nuh-bil-i-tee]
1. the ability to be sustained, supported, upheld or confirmed
2. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance
Sustainability and environmentally-friendly practices are topics of increasing importance in the world today, especially in meetings and events. With the growing awareness of issues surrounding climate change and environmentalism, sustainable practices are becoming increasingly ubiquitous in practically every aspect of meetings and events. In this month's issue of Education Essentials, you'll learn how meetings professionals can incorporate sustainable practices through small and big ways.
Sustainability Highlight: QR Codes
With the topic of sustainable events and environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) being at the forefront for many companies, meeting professionals often need to provide creative, sustainable solutions in an inexpensive way. What if small actions could make an impact? QR codes have gained momentum in the COVID-19-era as a touchless option to share information, and meetings professionals are catching on. In this FICP blog post, Elyse Dawson shares some ideas for incorporating this digital tool into events, including using QR codes on signage, during registration and to share a welcome message to attendees. Check out the infographic below for the highlights.
How Sustainable Is Your Location?
As you're planning your next meeting or event, consider how your location is impacting your ability to be sustainable. Here is a checklist of questions to ask your hospitality partners when planning your event, including inquiring about reusable and recycled products, recycling practices, and vegetarian and vegan food options.
Sponsored: Canadian Destinations Leading the Way in Culinary Sustainability
Across Canada, destinations are delivering innovative culinary experiences that lessen their impact on the environment and ensure a more sustainable world. Discover three Canadian resorts that are at the forefront of sustainability in this recent blog post by Destination Canada, including a seaside resort in Nova Scotia serving up a gourmet, multi-course dinner with locally sourced ingredients, an oceanfront inn with the highest Five Key rating from Canada’s Green Key Eco-Rating program and a luxurious, yet sustainable retreat with zero-waste restaurant.
How to Pick a Climate-Conscious Corporate Gift
The desire to show appreciation for valuable relationships or hard work is a wonderful impulse, and gifts are a great way to do it. But no organization wants the gifts they deliver to clients and employees to pile up in landfills or contribute to climate change. If you’re stumped as to what a climate-conscious gift might look like, check out this chart from MeetingsNet that offers guidance on production, packaging, shipping and other sustainability issues.
Five Steps for Sustainable Supply Chains
The key to success in producing a more sustainable event is to enroll significant vendors. Sustainability is a collaborative effort — you can’t do it alone. It takes the passion, commitment and expertise of many organizations and individuals. Check out this step-by-step process by Events Industry Council for curating a more sustainable supply chain. Start by developing a sustainability policy, communicating objectives and negotiating and contracting with the relevant vendors.
Saving Money With Sustainable Events
One of the biggest myths about sustainable events is that they cost more. This is a major obstacle to incorporating sustainable practices. While some aspects of sustainable events will increase your budget, overall, you should be able to reduce cost by leveraging the efficiency that is at the heart of sustainable events. In this article from the Events Industry Council, find easy ways to save money with sustainability, including storing and saving items for another event, offering more affordable vegetarian options, addressing food waste and more.
Tools to Support Your Sustainability Journey
Have you ever wondered what kind of difference you can make when it comes to the sustainability of your event? Answer a few questions and find out just how much your choices matter to your event footprint with My Event Footprint, an online tool that generates the impact of your sustainability practices and quantifies this data into a story you can share.
If you're looking for ways to further offset your carbon footprint, check out this calculator to determine your impact.
#TBT – FICP Chats: The Future of Meetings - Sustainability
The events industry has made progress in the last few years towards more sustainable practices. Check out this FICP Chats from July 2020 that focused on how the industry is refocusing its efforts to align with positive environmental practices in the midst of the pandemic. View the recording on TheNetwork.
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