To carry out an event as "green" as possible does not necessarily mean to gather people in the countryside. The Commission of Environment of the Union of the Baltic Cities organized a conference on sustainable development in the Baltic Sea Region in Turku, Finland shocasing that green meetings are not just fiction. They gathered almost 600 participants from 16 different countries for the Solutions local, together Conference. And as stated in an online published booklet the event had been organized as sustainable as possible.
The guidebook focuses on how to make an event sustainable in practice. The author Stella Aaltonen, event architect of the Solutions local, together Conference, discusses decisions on the hosting city and venue, accommodation and transport, program development, catering as well as marketing and communication. Things to consider when organizing a sustainable event at any seize are highlighted and different examples illustrate the feasibility of truly sustainable events.
“The planning of a sustainable event needs to have enough resources to succeed. Especially a sufficient planning time and people are needed. In the end calculations the sustainable choices in many cases turn out to be cheaper than non-sustainable ones”, so one of Stella Aaltonen comments.
The guidebook is definitely worthwhile to take a look at and to download for the next event preparations - because sustainability is possible not only in talks but also in actions. “A truly sustainable event adds value to the ongoing processes, not just for those participating in the event, but also in the local surrounding where the event takes place.”
Picture: Copyright IRRI Images via Flickr
