For our future, we must focus on sustainability

Sustainability is a term we throw around a lot in the events world.

 

There’s been a concerted effort to make what we do as events and meeting planners more environmentally friendly—from practices at events that conserve water or waste, to ethical farming that provides fair trade goods. But to really underscore why this is important, we need to understand why we’re shifting to more sustainable events.

 

During the early 20th century, more and more governments and individuals started to grasp the lasting effects humans had on Earth. In the U.S., this led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. Around the same time, the European Union created its own measures to reduce pollution, creating the European Environment Agency.

 

People from around the world also started to ask themselves: What can I do to be cognisant of the environment, and what changes can I make to leave less of a footprint? Event and meeting planners recognized this too, and started creating their own methods to be more environmentally friendly.

 

One of the first notable "green" events was the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. The International Olympic Committee created the Sport and Environment Commission (now called the Sustainability and Legacy Commission), and pledged to make their events more green.

 

Not only did they improve their own methods, they promoted their work to increase international awareness of sustainability. Soon other major events were creating their own sustainability committees, and more and more organisations realised the benefits of hosting a green event.

 

Thanks to those efforts, there is a new appreciation for sustainability both from those in the events industry and the people we serve. All of us are now thinking critically when it comes to green events, and we’re innovating ways we can reduce our carbon footprint.

 

The Events Industry Council has so many different tools for event and meeting planners to make their events more green. Our website offers webinars, infographics and articles you might find helpful in your sustainability endeavor. 

 

If more people consider how they’re affecting the environment—whether they’re an individual person or a billion dollar event—we can make the world a better place for our future.

 

 

 

Aleka Garcia, CMP-HC, CMM