It’s Easy Being Green: Simple Ways To Go Low-Impact for Events.

Whether it’s a wedding, corporate shindig, or any other celebration, there are a lot of things to think about when putting together an event, and for many of us, sustainability is on the list. Thankfully, event planners can help you through the process, making it much easier to make your celebration not only organized and beautiful but also more environmentally friendly. Sound complicated and expensive? Don’t worry, it’s really not hard to create green events.

Here, we show you some simple choices and changes to minimize the impact of your soiree.

Let’s begin with venues

• Choosing the right venue is probably the most important part of green events. We can provide you with a list of venues with options like green features, sustainability practices, LEED certification, and more.
• There are a number of venues in Greater Vancouver and beyond that have green certifications, waste diversion initiatives, and sustainable sourcing.
• Some venues even have chefs that work with local farmers to serve fresh, local, sustainably grown, and vegetarian/vegan food for your events.
• Some venues’ green practices include solar panels, natural lighting, green roofs, low-emission paint, non-toxic cleaning products, water waste recycling, stormwater harvesting, low-impact generators, wind power, efficient climate control, organic composting, eco-friendly audio-visual, and lighting systems with energy-efficient LED lights.

Delicious, local, sustainable food

• In order to plan successful green events, avoid over-ordering food (but ensure you don’t run out) by having guests pre-order their food using an online system.
• Source local and organic food for healthier, fresher, and tastier meals while also reducing your carbon footprint.
• Do away with the waste and expense of paper menus— opt for digital tablets on the tables. Easy.
• Look into options for donating leftover food to local nonprofits like shelters.
• Seek out composting options at the venue.

Greenery and flowers

• Opt for sourcing locally grown, in-season flowers for creating beautiful, big bouquets, overflowing vases, and more.
• Not sure what to do with them after? At the end of your event, either give the flowers away to your guests, or compost them.
• Another lovely trend is living décor. Try out a floral or green showcase that’s long-lasting and sustainable. Or opt for something simple but welcoming like potted bushes or plants at the entrance or hanging trailing plant baskets up high.
• Flowers make great party favours at the end of your celebration.

Reduce packaging

• Excessive packaging has a big impact on sustainability. If it’s really not necessary, just don’t use it! Opting out of packaging is such a simple change that saves waste, time, and money.
• If you absolutely have to use packaging, check out biodegradable or reusable options. There are reusable cotton bags, cloth, glass instead of plastic, metal straws, and more.

Eco-friendly swag

• Make your swag digital. It’s easy to offer e-tickets, discount codes, or downloads to your guests.
• Instead of regular gifts, offer to make a donation in someone’s name to a local charity or organization. Much more meaningful than more “stuff.”
• Make the swag sustainable and reusable—give guests cloth tote bags with your brand or name, reusable travel items, coffee mugs, cups, etc.
• We can help you find items like environmentally friendly water bottles, gift bags, meals, snacks, etc.

So those are just a few of the simple choices you can make with our help to create an event that’s more magical, memorable, and sustainable. With the right tips and guidance, you can do it the right way and ensure your event is as low-impact as possible.

Want to know more? Get in touch anytime. We are always happy to help.