Learn To Host A Zero-Waste Event

Sustainable, eco-friendly, and zero-waste are just a few of the many terminologies that are being used today to advocate a more conscious way of living. Being aware of our responsibility towards creating an environment that is aimed at long term sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint is quickly becoming increasingly necessary.

As event professionals, a huge responsibility lies on our ability to ensure we take every measure in putting together zero-waste events. While it is still a work in progress, the many ways in which the industry has transformed to help bring about this dynamic change has been commendable and we only hope to continue seeing positive impacts in the future.

Here are a few ways in which we can continue to contribute towards creating a more sustainable event:

Minimizing Food Waste at Events: Strategies for Event Professionals to Create Sustainable Catering Plans

Food and beverage is probably the one aspect of any event that sees substantial wastage. Given the nature of the service, catering is no easy feat, especially if the event is of a large scale. With an effort to help reduce this wastage, event professionals need to spend considerable time in understanding the food preference, cuisines to be offered and the number of people expected to be a part of the event.

From working with vendors who themselves are very environmentally conscious to actively working towards ensuring that the per plate turnover is being met, event planners can bring about impactful changes by making many small changes to the way in which the F & B process is being planned and executed.

The Power of the 3 R’s 

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle: Another key area that can help to implement a sound zero-waste event, is the method of the 3 R’s, which is truly at the core of creating a more sustainable and environmentally conscious lifestyle. Reducing, be it an event process, decor, food and beverage or the guest list, can go a long way in bringing down your carbon footprint. Reusing, from decor to equipment, the more you eliminate the buying of items that cause more harm to the environment, is one step closer to achieving the zero-waste event that we hope to one day achieve. Recycling being the last of the 3 R’s, is where the use of jute based event decor and other compostable items can play a huge role.

With several other options available in the market today, event planners have a plethora of options to choose from, fancy to look at but also easy on the environment as well as being cost effective.

Planning:

When it comes to putting together a zero waste event, the planning process can be quite different in comparison to an event where such a conscious effort was not necessarily made. From impacting the budget to having to look at vendor and supplier alternatives that are in line with your ethos and expectations, the planning process takes on a whole different thought process.

Working in close proximity to those who have the necessary skills to help execute a plan of this nature is yet another aspect that needs to be given careful consideration and so, a well structured plan is crucial in the formation of a successful zero waste event.

 Analysis:

With any event, the pre and post analysis that goes on behind the scenes is an imperative metric to help analyze the outcome of said event. When it comes to analyzing a zero waste event for instance, one must understand the different elements that need to be taken into consideration to help draw a more conclusive result.

For instance, setting a predefined standard for what you expect your wastage to be before and after transitioning to a more conscious event plan can really help you understand where better to place your focus and how best to go about with future events to come.

While these are just the top 4 ways in which you can now execute a zero waste event, we urge you to be curious, to question certain practices and actively strive to create more solutions that can help us achieve a more sustainable and environmentally conscious way of creating some of the most incredible events till date.

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