The March 4th #MeetGreenChat focused on rethinking your event for zero waste. Zero waste events is a topic of discussion that is challenging to understand. Does a zero waste event mean 100% zero waste? How would you plan for an event and measure your efforts towards zero waste? These were just some of the questions that we discussed. See the below tweets below for the discussions we had and learn about zero waste events.
What does a zero waste event look like?
A1: I try to use this term in relation specifically to landfill waste. For instance all events will have waste- but one goal is to keep all or most from the landfill #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
A1) A successful zero waste event has informed all of its stakeholders about this goal, received their buy-in, and guided their participation.#MeetGreenChat
— Sonia Harris (@harrisonia) March 4, 2020
A1 A zero-waste event ensures that no items will be sent to the landfill, meaning that all items can either be recycled or composted. Minimization is also a strategy that avoids waste altogether. #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
How early in the planning process should you include zero waste strategies?
A2: As early as possible : )) Waste reduction intersects many teams, such as purchasing and procurement, general contractor, food & beverage, brand creative, and show cleaning. Very hard to rally these team on short notice. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
A2) Event planning for #zerowaste should be a discussion point while you're reviewing the last event to prepare for the upcoming one. #MeetGreenChat
— Sonia Harris (@harrisonia) March 4, 2020
A2 I fully agree, including the venue in the planning for zero waste as early as possible is crucial #MeetGreenChat #sustainability #eventprofs https://t.co/1fTag64OxK
— MeetRoger (Roger Lehner) (@IMEXrog) March 4, 2020
What are the top 3 areas to consider in your planning for zero waste?
A3 F&B, production (show management and EACs), facility management #MeetGreenChat
— MeetRoger (Roger Lehner) (@IMEXrog) March 4, 2020
A3 In my line of work, it's definitely food (packaging materials), purchasing, and back of house operations. In floral design, many bulk flowers still come in plastic. You also need to make sure that all employees are disposing of materials in the right places #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
A3) My top 3 areas to consider in your planning for #zerowaste are food, paper, and single-use plastic. #MeetGreenChat
— Sonia Harris (@harrisonia) March 4, 2020
A3 In my line of work, it's definitely food (packaging materials), purchasing, and back of house operations. In floral design, many bulk flowers still come in plastic. You also need to make sure that all employees are disposing of materials in the right places #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
How will you track your progress towards these goals?
A4 As organizer, we heavily rely on reporting from external sources such as the venue and in our case our amazing sustainability consultants @MeetGreen #MeetGreenChat #sustainability #eventprofs
— MeetRoger (Roger Lehner) (@IMEXrog) March 4, 2020
Let’s talk about zero waste examples for swag. What examples have you seen that were successful?
A5: Often the best swag is no swag. IMEX America did a great job on this front in 2020, eliminating their tote bags. We have also seen examples of planting trees instead of swag which is a great way to support climate action. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
A5 The best swag I've seen is a flyer embedded with seeds that could be torn apart and planted to grow flowers. The group got their message out, and then the flyer was turned into something beautiful! #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
A5 I've seen this example recently from the Pivotal SpringOnePlatform event. Pretty cool. https://t.co/7XzczRaO4u #MeetGreenChat
— Della Green (@MeetGreenDella) March 4, 2020
Yes we made name badges out of seedpaper for a client workshop! They were very popular. We've also used wildflower seed bombs as a giveaway #MeetGreenChat
— Legacy (@LegacyTheTeam) March 5, 2020
Let’s talk about the term stem to root when it comes to using the whole vegetable or fruit. What are some examples of food that is served with this in mind?
A6 One time I had a wedding where carrots were used in the food and the carrot tops (which make a beautiful greenery) were used in the floral arrangements #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
A6 I'm not an expert on this, one example I can think of is broccoly stems that are used for soup bases. Hopefully others have more ideas as we can all use them at home too! #MeetGreenChat
— MeetRoger (Roger Lehner) (@IMEXrog) March 4, 2020
A6) One example of stem to root use is apples in tabletop centerpieces later incorporated into apple pie/desserts. 🍎#MeetGreenChat
— Sonia Harris (@harrisonia) March 4, 2020
A6 We were fortunate enough to be served a delicious lunch by @ChefThomasRhode at @Twickenhamstad recently. He regularly caters for thousands. He suggests using whole veg to make soups & stocks. Here is his tip for celeriac (final paragraph) https://t.co/C9C9Au0SEt #MeetGreenChat
— Legacy (@LegacyTheTeam) March 5, 2020
When it comes to packaging at an event what are some examples of ways to minimize this waste?
A7 I love it when pallets are packed with metal ties and not shrink-wrapped. It's a valuable material so venues are eager to separate these out from the waste stream. #MeetGreenChat
— MeetRoger (Roger Lehner) (@IMEXrog) March 4, 2020
A7 One great way to reduce packaging for food is to ask your produce supplier if they use reusable produce boxes (not the wax-covered kind). You can either give the boxes back, reuse them, or recycle them. They also make great carriers for centerpieces. #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
A7: For food & beverage, first choice is as many reusables as you can! Then looking for ways you can eliminate any packaging. Unwrapped sandwiches on a tray, bulk break food, etc. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
How could you design a pack it in pack it out policy in all areas of your event?
A8: This can be challenging to enforce if it intersects exhibitors, but exhibitor education and having a Green Exhibitor Guide can dramatically help drive participation. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
A8 Training/education is very important in all aspects of the event. You want to make sure everyone involved has the '"leave no trace" training, so that everything that enters the venue will also leave with them #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
Would you consider implementing a pack it in pack it out policy for your event?
A9) Yes, would consider. It's a matter of planning and communicating it to the team #MeetGreenChat
— Sonia Harris (@harrisonia) March 4, 2020
A9: For our events this is a goal we are working towards. Smaller events with simplified builds are often easier to implement policies than large trade-shows with complicated build plans. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
A9 Yes! As a vendor for many events, this also helps with inventory and data collection because you must account for everything you're bringing and taking back with you. #MeetGreenChat
— Emily Barzinpour (@sunshineemily2) March 4, 2020
What would a pack it in pack it out policy look like?
A10: For me it would include some background education on why we have this policy, and it might include an area for exhibitor or general contractor signatures acknowledging they have read and agreed to participate. #MeetGreenChat
— Eric Wallinger (@EricWallinger) March 4, 2020
Thank you to everyone who joined! The discussions around rethinking events for zero waste were interesting and I am so glad you were able to join and participate! The next #MeetGreenChat is April 1st at 11 AM PT. See you then!
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