Sustainability consultancy, Greengage
Solutions, welcomed more than 100 event and hospitality professionals to the QEII Centre for its annual conference and awards.
At the confetence, sustainability
experts, pioneers and collaborators took to the stage to share case studies,
data and inspiration to drive sustainability in the industry.
Triathlete,
world cycling record-breaker and climate adventure, Kate Strong shared her story of cycling around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight the
urgent need to act on climate change, not just for us, but for all future generations.
“On
the cycling trip we visited a school where the children were so excited to show us the
apples in their orchard that previous students had planted. How many of us are
planting orchards that we won’t eat the fruit from?” Strong asked. “Climate
action is about doing something positive, not just for ourselves but for future
generations.”
“Taking action now is
about making sure the shadow of my impact is not greater than the good that I’m
creating,” said Strong.
The audience also heard from Karen Hutchings, former global head of travel, meetings
and events at Ernst & Young, who shared
some ‘simple sustainability steps’ which make a ‘big difference’. Her five key
takeaways for the audience included:
- Introducing meat-free meals,
either at work or at the events you produce.
- Reducing paper use by introducing digital
programmes and signage.
- Stop handing out environmentally
harmful and ultimately wasteful merchandise at events.
- Before booking an event
venue, ask to see the sustainability credentials, the collected data and how
the venue us using that data to implement meaningful change.
- When selecting a venue,
ensure it’s close to public transport in order for delegates to avoid having to
take taxis.
A
panel discussion comprised of Anna Snoep - director of operations at Greengage,
Mark Corbett - founder of Thrust Carbon, Ewan Massir - business development
director at Clarity, and Angeliki Krania - sustainability manager at the
Lamington Group, discussed what positive changes their organisations had made to
become more environmentally sustainable.
Angeliki Krania said the first step in making a difference is understanding
your organisation’s carbon drivers. “When you’re on the journey to carbon reduction, you
start to unpack what sustainability means for your organisation. Sustainability
is often seen as an iceberg, and it is an iceberg, but it’s our duty to keep
exploring what sustainability means and what practices we need to introduce."
Ewan Kassir added that employee travel largely contributed to Clarity’s carbon
footprint. He said that by putting policies in place to reduce travel and
consolidate travel, the organisation has been able to start reducing its carbon footprint. Kassir also said that consolidating employee travel
and being ‘smarter about the trips we plan’ has has a positive knock-on effect for
employee wellbeing "as they’re not constantly away from home and their routine."
Sustainability trends
The panel were asked to share what they think will be 2024’s most prevalent
sustainability trends. Mark Corbett of Carbon Thrust said that clients will want to see more than just
the data you’ve collected on carbon emissions, they will want to see how you’re using that data to implement sustainable
change.
Anna Snoep added that ‘sustainability imposter syndrome' is a very real thing. “You
can only know so much about sustainable event practices at one time, but it’s
your duty to keep learning and keep yourself informed about sustainable practices,
polices, data and regulation. If you don’t have a sustainable business, your
business won’t be sustained in the long run.”
Practical advice
Krania
provided insight to help get teams on board the sustainability train.
She explained that once a month, the Lamington Group leadership team has a sustainability
focused meeting where they share ideas and discuss practices that could enhance
their sustainability credentials and encourage team members to make sustainable
choices.
“We
try to incentivise our team to reduce waste, travel less and report back the
changes they have made,” Krania explained.
“Each
month in the Team Planet meetings, a department will pick topic to present - this
could be how to reduce food waste, how to reduce carbon emissions when
travelling or choosing plant-based meals over meat options.”
Krania
explained there’s plenty of cost-free, fun ways to educate staff and clients on
sustainable practices. “At Christmas, we ran a card-making workshop using all
the leftover cardboard from deliveries. It’s such an easy and creative activity
for everyone to enjoy. People love to take something home with them.”
The
Greengage Conference culminated in an awards ceremony which saw event venues, planners and suppliers scoop accolades for championing sustainability. Andrew Perolls,
Greengage Solution chief executive officer, said it’s all about “taking action,
even in a small way, because it always proves to be worthwhile.”
The Greengage Platinum Award winners:
Agency sustainability initiative - Inntel
Agency sustainability initiative - Brightelm
Accommodation & meetings sustainability initiative - Lamington Group
Accommodation & meetings sustainability initiative - Clermont Hotel Group
Meeting venues sustainability initiative - The Studio
Innovative product or service of the year - EY
Social enterprise or charity of the year - University of Essex, Edge Hotel School
Sustainability champion of the year - Dana Moore, sustainability manager, Agiito
Sustainability rising star of the year - Ellie Cashmore, marketing manager, Eventurous
Greengage positive impacts special awards - Justine Meek, Warwick Conference
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
