For the most part I think we’re past the notion that going green is a sacrifice. As environmentally friendly trends gain popularity, more and more green options are available. Since innovation is ideal in every business why not be environmentally friendly at the same time? Let’s consider two things in this blog post:

1. How one green choice can impact your event.
2. How this will affect your attendees’ experience.

If you’re thinking of going green on your next event, venue is a great place to start. Classifications such as Eco-Key and Green Key will help you identify venues that have made a constructive effort to improve their environmental impact. You can follow the links above to dive deeper into the meaning of each classifcation.

Basically, you’re looking for venues that are consciously trying to reduce their environmental impact using efficient heating and cooling systems, low wattage lighting and water conservation. Ways of identifying these venues may include looking for…

• A venue which is LEED, Green Key, or ECO-KEY certified.
• A venue that has low flow appliances, efficient heating and cooling systems, and low wattage lighting.
• A venue where you can opt-in to use Green Powered energy sources.

Not only can you feel good about your decision to use a green venue, but you can convey the payoff to your attendees. Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, for example, has found that it pays to offer environmentially conscious venues:

• An energy audit and retrofit cost the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise $460,000. Projected savings were $461,000, but after five years, the hotel had saved over $616,000.
• Typical hotels use 218 gallons of water per day per occupied room. Installation of water efficient guest room fixtures, like Fairmont’s fitting of tap aerators and low flow toilets, reduce water use by an average of 31%.
• At the Chateau Laurier, 95% of all exit lighting has been retrofitted to low wattage (15 watt) energy efficient lighting, saving 306.6 KW of electricity per year.
• The Chateau Laurier’s new automated shut-off programs for heating/ventilation/air conditioning are reducing energy consumption about 42,000 KW per year.

Being able to convey a measurable reduction in each attendee’s carbon footprint allows you to spread the good feelings around. Saving the planet doesn’t happen by accident. Your event organizers and attendees have chosen to actively participate in a green initiative. With a measurable impact to convey to your audience post-event, you’re able to share a gift of corporate social responsibility that instills in people a sense of pride.

 

Originally posted on starshot.com