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Talking about summits – most in person meetings carry footprints of about 1-1.5 tons of CO2d per attendee.
What can we do against that?
Today's Lesson: Hosting Greener Events
What we can do to organize more sustainable conferences
Number Of The Day
In a study published early this year, it was found that on average 89.2 grams of food per person were discarded each dinner. That is about 14.21% of the quantity served! Of note, the relative amounts varied between 12.58% and 17.36% in other instances – but on average we throw away 1/5 of our food.
89.2 Grams
Making Your Next Event Greener
Last time, we talked about the enormous footprint of conferences.
The largest impact by far came from intercontinental flights – with about 75% of emissions from only a third of participants.
Although you have little control over how people travel, encouraging them to make conscious choices goes a long way!
Also, if you know your audience, choosing where to hold your event can reduce emissions up to 79%. Offering hybrid options for attendance is even more impactful:
This is an estimate for potential savings in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) annual conference. You can read more and find the unedited graphic at: DOI:10.1038/d41586-020-02057-2
Importantly, hybrid option significantly reduce travel impact and give scientists from developing countries a chance to attend too!
Choosing a Home
After travel, accomodation and venue account for the second largest impact. Although many recommendations exist, the following priority hierarchy seems sensible:
1. Locations that use sustainable energy
2. Buildings optimized for minimal or no air conditioning
3. Proper waste and water management
4. Best working conditions for personnel
You can find other aspects here: https://www.biologists.com/stories/choosing-sustainable-venues-a-guide/
Take these numbers with a big grain of salt! It is difficult to generalize and on top, it depends on how granular you section your data e.g., domestic versus international transport. For a detailed analysis of various forms of meetings in Japan see: DOI: 10.3390/su12125001
How You Keep Your Attendees Alive
Let’s zoom in on what happens at the venue: What food to serve can be a lengthy discussion, but here are some general ideas that are often overlooked:
Plan proper portion sizes and amounts to avoid food waste.
Although an optimal diet would probably contain other foods as well, consider switching to plant-based options, prioritizing local and seasonal components for your conference
Of Note: there are also other foods like chocolate to avoid! The demand for ingredients such as soy, palm oil, and cattle commodities is a major cause of deforestation and drivers for habitat loss and soil degradation.
Consider to use food banks and redistribution services for leftovers if possible
This data from the a German Environmental Agency based on German food waste. They have an incredibly detailed report for everyone who wants to know more (even talking about acidification and other measures). The graphics comes from an overview article. PS: The visualization of 85 000 liters of water is really helpful, isn't it :D
You can even use carbon estimators for menus, which have helped others cut their food-related footprints in half!
Ides To Make Your Event Green
Go paperless by using virtual PDFs and QR codes. - Cut back on meaningless giveaways.
Remind exhibitors of best practices
Remind attendees not to take multiple coffee cups
Use reusable name badge holders
For online meetings, encourage people to turn off cameras when not in discussions to significantly reduce their footprints.
Finally, do not underestimate the power of communication. Just informing your attendees about what you did helps raising awareness and triggers action due to the power of social proof & peer pressure.
Applying The Knowledge
Of course, the best application is to put all the advice above into action.
However, there is one more thing to consider:
Share your insights. If possible, think about setting up guidelines and sharing experiences like those at NYU to give people concrete actions tailored to your location: NYU Green Events Standard.
Also, keep track of what works and what doesn’t. Collect feedback from collaborators and attendees; these experiences will be invaluable in the future!
Upcoming Lesson:
How To Greenify Your Equipment
Asking You
How many % of electricity can you save by turning off your video in online meetings?
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