MeetGreen is fortunate to work with many who are sustainability leaders in their industry. These organizations and their sustainability champions are sincerely and deeply interested in driving their events – and by extension, inspiring others – toward sustainable practices. They are doing it right, harnessing the power of events to create change. Today, we focus on Visit Tillamook Coast as leaders in sustainable tourism who recently produced the Crave the Coast Festival.

Crave the Coast Festival

Crave the Coast Festival showcased the delicious and diverse bounty of the North Oregon Coast with cheese, fresh seafood, spirits, meats and farmers market produce. A culmination of the launch of the North Coast Food Trail, the event included tastings, samples and pairings, all locally sourced from over 40 coastal farms, fisheries, producers and foragers. Local, sustainable restaurants were also introduced. This first annual event was an overwhelming success for both vendors and attendees alike.

When you are showcasing local, sustainable food, all eyes are on you to make the event as sustainable as possible too. From the initial planning stages, Nan Devlin and Meghan Burdick, Visit Tillamook Coast, led the charge to do precisely that. It should also be noted that this event was in a tent, on the Oregon Coast, miles away from traditional event resources.

Through mindful decisions every step of the way, the event organizers overcame challenges and demonstrated sustainability to all key stakeholders. Here are a few of their achievements:

  • The event was held during daylight hours and the tent had clear siding which allowed for natural light and minimized energy use.
  • The event space, porta-potties and sinks were all ADA compliant.
  • A three-stream diversion process was set up for all waste and was sorted onsite. Sorting experts staffed the stations to assist attendees with the process and teach them about recycling.
  • Event organizers provided vendors with BPI certified service ware for tastings and meals that could be readily composted.
  • A composting system was set up to divert all food scraps and service ware.
  • Condiments were served in bulk.
  • All event staging, AV equipment, tables and chairs were sourced from the closest locations (under 100 miles).
  • Centerpieces were made of fresh produce and reused after the event.

Crave the Coast was able to accomplish a 68% diversion rate which is much higher than both the local area and State of Oregon and is amongst the highest of all events MeetGreen has produced.

We applaud their unwavering leadership, commitment and passion! Thanks to sustainable event leaders, Visit Tillamook Coast, for openly sharing their story. Read the full sustainability report.