As we enter the season for tech fests and cultural fests at campuses across the country, here are a few ideas on how to make your fest a more sustainable event — reducing waste and energy consumption, while maximizing your positive environmental impact!
Waste:
– Minimize flyers or posters within the campus: set up signboards for annoucements and/or effective speaker systems
– Minimize flyers being passed out by host companies: require that it be from recycled paper, and request half sheets from all exhibitors (or no paper at all)
– Set up an effective event segregation system, including communications to share what you are doing with attendees
– Provide a user-waste collection system (ie: invite guests to bring their own e-waste or plastic from home)
– Identify partners to create the most value for recycling system (ie: newspaper going to NGOs to make bags, tetrapaks being recycled, plastic bags being upcycled)
– Provide visual reminders of the waste generated, and compare to typical event benchmarks
Packaging Waste:
– Eliminate all plastic or disposable food packaging (biodegradable or reusable serviceware)
– Minimize use of plastic bottles for water: provide filtration units throughout the campus, and potentially steel or BPA-free bottles in the registration kit
– Set up cook-to-order food service and/or arrange for un-touched food to be given to NGOs
– Set up transportable composting systems onsite
– Set up compost bins and waste segregation throughout the event/campuse
Food Provision:
– Focus on local and/or organic food service
– Serve only vegetarian food, as vegetarian food can have a lower impact in terms of carbon emissions
Energy:
– If you’re using an existing facility, use the event as a chance to install metering systems, renewable energy systems, and/or energy efficient fixtures/bulbs
– Set up metering to do live feed of total energy consumption on campus (a great idea for your facility regardless)
– If setting up temporary structures (stage, theater), consider solar powered systems, or a temporary CNG system
Transportation:
– Arrange buses at full capacity to come to and from the housing for the event (is there capacity on campus?): this might mean one large bus for peak times and smaller buses during off-peak times, rather than having full-sized buses shuttling at all times
– Arrange for special guests to stay on campus so that other vehicles at their timing might not be needed
– Provide information about public transit routes to all participants in advance of the event
– Incentivize participants to come by train or bus rather than by plane by offering free shuttles from the train station, and public transit alternatives for the transit from the airport
Carbon:
– While it can be challenging to say your fest is truly carbon-neutral, you can consider offsetting some of the emissions that are under your control (energy consumed by campus buildings during the fest, or transportation from the area)
– Consider offsetting using either clean energy projects or community projects such as distribution of solar lanterns instead of, or in addition to, tree plantation programs
Content:
– Integrate climate change or renewable energy into the content of your events, whether through a competition for new technologies, an entrepreneurship competition, a workshop or climate leadership training, a campus clean-up, or a competition for ideas for sustainability on campus. Getting funding for a long-term project can be much easier if it comes out of a competition during a well-sponsored fest.
– Integrate sustainability into the entertainment — NIT Trichy invited the solar-powered band, Solar Punch, to perform at their fest last year, integrating great music with a solar message
Procurement:
– Give productive, usable prizes, awards and tokens to speakers and participants — things like solar lanterns, reusable bags, or water bottles that can prevent use of plastic in the future
– Wrap any gifts in recycled paper, which can really support groups that are making recycled paper in villages or in low-income urban areas. It’s amazing how many jobs can be created just by changing the paper that you use
– Print all of your fliers and posters on recycled paper
– Consider making products out of the flex you use — check out Conserve’s work reusing the flex from the Commonwealth Games
Enjoy a green fest!
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