One way to offset the probable carbon footprint, is to team
up with such organisations as Trees for Africa, Wildlands Conservation Trust, Earth
Patrol, Climate Africa etc.
Here are some more steps you can take that will add to the
overall ‘greening’ of an event and include the three Rs – reduce, reuse,
recycle.
Accommodation and
activities
Consult your local authority about accommodation and
activities that promote green practices. Most cities can offer new ideas for guests
that promote the environment and add to leisure pleasure.
Venue
·
Give preference to venues with a sound
environmental policy
·
Work with the venue to ensure lights and air
conditioning are switched off when not in use
·
Consider venues that use as much natural light
and natural ventilation as possible
·
Ask for jugs of water with slices of lemon for
delegates – South African tap water is perfectly drinkable and bottled water is
a waste of natural resources, energy and a pollutant
·
Use local, in season food to support the economy
and reduce transport
·
Select fish from sustainable fish supplies
·
Avoid unnecessary packaging and plastic bags
·
Where possible use bulk dispensers for sugar,
salt, condiments and sauces.
·
Avoid individually wrapped sweets
·
Try to reduce the food wastage – is a
three-course meal necessary at lunchtime?
·
If plastic and paper waste are generated, ensure
the venue supplies separate bins for delegates to be active recyclers
·
Try using ‘living’ décor such as moss, stones
and succulent plants. Send your decorations home with your guests at the end of
the event or reuse them for another event
Printed material and
information
·
Use new media and electronic technology to
reduce paper use – SMS seating and registration details
·
Use electronic registration and market
electronically via website and email
·
Collect and reuse name badges
·
Produce all relevant information, presentations,
papers and web links via electronic media
·
If you do have to print – use recycled paper and
print on both sides of the paper
·
Consider requesting guests to bring their own
pens and notepads (most have notepads leftover from other events)
Finally, include the greening message at some stage in the
proceedings to remind your guests how fragile the ecosystem is and how all can
assist in greening the planet.
Our commitment
Litha Communications is a member of the Event Greening Forum
and our CEO, Andile Ncontsa, is a board member of the forum.
We seek to offset the carbon footprint of our operations and
take care to conduct our business in an environmentally responsible way. We
offer our clients an opportunity to do the same by contributing a tree for
every delegate that attends our events.
For this purpose, our NGO partner of choice is the Wildlands
Conservation Trust. The Trust is working to conserve our region’s biodiversity
through the development and facilitation of innovative solutions, which take
into account the unique biodiversity assets of South Africa while sustainably
meeting the socio-economic needs of current and future generations. Most
importantly, they offer marginalised youth and women, new skills in new green
industries that protect and preserve our heritage and the planet for future
generations to come. For more information, go to www.wildlands.co.za.
We also contribute our time, talent and materials to
Waste2Wow, a job creation design and manufacturing studio that recycles
advertising banners and billboards, turning trash into creative and desirable
eco-friendly “wow” items - www.waste2wow.co.za.
We believe that enriching society and preserving our planet
for future generations is not an option or a nice thing to do - it is a matter
of necessity
