Ticketbud Tips and Tools*
January 13, 2014  •  by Jane Carter

Go Green: Minimizing Your Event's Carbon Footprint

Location, location, location– Aside from choosing what type of event to host, choosing where to host it is typically next on the list. In order to lessen the event’s environmental impact, the place you choose can make a huge difference. Choosing a location close to public transportation as well as encouraging guests to take the public transportation will decrease the amount of carbon emissions released into the environment. If possible, choose a solar powered venue or building that employs other energy saving techniques such as LED lightbulbs. potted plants keep your event eco-friendlyDesign and Appearance- Once your venue is chosen, decorating the area with low impact materials is essential. Avoid disposable decorations (confetti, paper doilies, etc.), and instead choose cloth or plastic materials that can be cleaned and recycled for a later event. Select sustainable materials for your table centerpieces (flowers, fruit, potted plants, etc). Try to steer away from cut flowers that will soon wilt and die, and purchase plants potted in soil that can be recycled instead. Allowing guests to take home the centerpieces as souvenirs is a wonderful way to ensure the reuse of the decorative pieces. Remember, just because your event is low impact, doesn’t mean it can’t be beautiful! Food or Catering– When it comes to food, there is a wide range of options to green your event. It is important to ensure that the food you cater or purchase is all locally grown and organic. If you plan to serve snacks and beverages rather than meals, make sure packaging is biodegradable.  Serving finger foods elimates the waste involved with individually wrapped items and utensils. If you must use disposables, purchase compostable plates and silverware. It is best to serve condiments and seasonings in bulk containers. For example, selecting a large bottle of ketchup rather than providing hundreds of ketchup of packets eliminates much waste. Tickets and Promotions– The event itself is planned, and now it is time to sell tickets and promote! This is where online ticketing & registration comes in. Online event ticketing services allow you to sell tickets with absolutely zero waste and allows guests to pull their tickets up on their smart phones when they arrive rather than wasting paper by printing at home. Online ticketing & registration also makes it easy to correspond with all attending guests via email or social media platforms, online options that have little environmental impact. As for promotions, advertising online rather than with paper flyers or posters is the best way to green your promotions. Lastly, you can notify guests of your green goals, so they can do their part in saving the environment and the event’s carbon footprint as well! photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography via photopin cc]]]]> ]]>