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EVENT PLANNING
Are you planning a conference? ...bringing an invited guest? ...hosting an art opening? Whatever event it is you are planning, you should consider taking a few extra steps to minimize its environmental impact. More information and a checklist for planning your event is available here.
In response to the increase in "green" events being held at Yale, The Office of Sustainability, Recycling Department, Sustainable Food Project and Yale Catering have partnered to develop sustainable event standards. These standards are meant to be used as a guide for planning and holding events here on the Yale campus. While these standards are still in review, we thought you might still want a hand in making your event a little greener, though it may not be entirely sustainable. The following are some tips and tools for greening your event, and when the Yale University Sustainable Event Standards come out, we will post them here too.
Taking steps to green your event are really quite feasible and easy to do. Lucky for you Yale has a number of approved caterers who are willing to help you green your event.
The one we will give a small shout out to here is Eli's on Whitney, since they have worked so wonderfully with the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies to cater their graduation luncheons for 2006 and 2007 with minimal waste. Also consider having Yale Catering do your event. Staying in-house minimizes energy used during delivery. We also highly recommend inquiring about how to work with the nationally acclaimed Yale Sustainable Food Project. You can arrange a visit to our own orgnanic farm for your event. Just contact Laura Hess,Program Coordinator for the Sustainable Food Project.
Contact Dee Tousey in Purchasing Services for suggestions of other green-friendly Yale-approved caterers.
**Note that Yale is working on providing composting for events wishing to be sustainable. This is not yet underway, but we promise to post the information here when such a service becomes available.**
Checklists for Minimal Waste Event Planning at Yale
FOOD/CATERING
- Table Presentation
- Use cloth tablecloths and napkins if possible. If not, at least use paper ones that are made from recycled paper
- Use sustainable table centerpieces – such as potted plants, local/pesticide free flowers (check with Yale sustainable food project for some!), cut tree branches, candles, or fruits that guests can take home and reuse.
- No paper doilies
- If food is going to be used as part of the food presentation (lettuce on serving plates, etc) all of that should be composted or left for the taking or reused.
- If flowers will be used in presentation, please have local and pesticide free. We can compost them.
- Stuff to eat on / in
- Request reusable dishes, cutlery, and glasses/ cups. If this is not possible, use biodegradable dishes, cutlery and glassware. See Yale’s Green Purchasing Site for suggestions on vendors. (a little tip, though, biodegradable coffee cups don’t always work very well –encourage people to bring their own travel mugs or use ones that are tried and true).
- If you’re having a buffet, consider using smaller than dinner sized plates for the food. This disincentivizes people from taking too much food which would then just go to waste.
- Where to buy biodegradable dinnerware:
- Food
- Ask caterers to use locally grown / produced foods and foods that are in season and organic.
- Use fair trade coffee and teas
- Serve foods that need not be individually packaged nor require utensils. Like fruits and vegetables or cheese and crackers.
- If food is provided from local farms, ask that it is noted as such. Suggest small place cards be placed in front of the food indicating what it is, from what farm, and where the farm is located.
- To save energy, think about serving food that does not require heating (oven) or cooling (freezer or refrigerator).
- Caterers
- If hiring drop-off caterers, ask that food be packaged in reusable containers that they will come back and pick up after the event. This eliminates the need for individually packaged foods (like saran wrap around each sandwich)
- If you hire caterers who will be present on site cooking and /or serving food, please ask that the staff comply with our efforts to make it a sustainable event. This means using the appropriate trash/recycling/composting receptacles provided to them.
- Ask caterers to minimize use of disposable packaging, such as saran wrap and aluminum foil (If foil is clean, it can be recycled with the cans).
- Ask caterers to stay away from the following:
- individually wrapped condiments - use bowls and shakers that can be reused and people can serve themselves.
- sugar/sugar alternative packets
- salt/pepper packets
- ketchup, mustard, mayo, etc packets
- individual creamers (milk and creamer should be in original cartons on ice or in pitcher).
- individually packaged lunches. These produce an immense amount of waste per person. Ask for platters or trays. This way people can only take what they need.
- plastic coffee stirrers (use wooden ones which can be composted or silverware)
- straws
- toothpicks and
- packets of plastic flatware
CHECKLIST FOR WASTE
- Get in touch with CJ May, Yale’s Recycling Coordinator, and he will have workers set up and take down recycling, trash, and composting stations around the grounds of your event. Contact CJ at Cyril.may@yale.edu or 432 -6852.
- Donate whatever excess food you can. To donate it to the Connecticut Food Bank, contact Carolyn Russell, Product Donation Coordinator, at (203) 469-5000, ext. 312, or crussell@ctfoodbank.org.
- If you cannot donate it, leave it out in a central Yale location, where hungry students will happily come and munch on the leftovers.
**Be sure to check with food service officials for guidelines before donating any potentially edible food. Some food should not be given away if it has been sitting out for a period of time. You don’t want to make anyone sick from your good intentions.**
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
- Use electronic communication for invitations and confirmations. Let this communication point people to programs they can print if they need to do so.
- Consider not providing programs to each attendee, but rather posting a few in central locations
- Provide paper recycling bins in strategic locations for the programs and other paper that you do provide for the guests.
- Make sure whatever you do print is printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified recycled paper with soy-based ink if possible. You can contact Yale RIS (432-6560), Tyco Printing (562-COPY) to find out if they can work with you on these requests.
- Make sure the print on both sides all of your materials.
PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS
- Consider giving away items that attendees can use for the rest of the conference, such as travel mugs or tote bags. Check the GIVEAWAYS page on our Green Purchasing Website for links to great companies providing green promotional items.
BUY LOCAL BEER AND WINE
OFFSET YOUR EMISSIONS
- So you want to purchase carbon credits but don't know who to buy from? Here are recommendations from Tufts Climate Initiative and the Stockholm Environmental Institute with explanations - this is a good guide to use. Previous events at Yale have successfully offset their emissions with Native Energy, one of their recommended companies.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES TO GREEN YOUR MEETING
BLUE GREEN MEETINGS - organization providing tips and resources for event planners and suppliers
GREEN MEETING SITE FROM EPA - This site can help you plan meetings while minimizing negative impacts on the environment.
Sound like too much work? Hire someone to help:
SEVEN STAR GREEN EVENT PLANNERS
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