Sustainable Events Toolkit

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This toolkit is based on the Sustainable Events Planner that has been developed in partnership with the Sustainable Living Foundation and Sustainability Victoria, available online at slf.org.au/eventplanner/home

You can play a positive role in implementing and encouraging sustainable activities and behaviour when planning your event. Council aims for events in Moonee Valley to:

• minimise water use

• reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions

• Limit waste production and material use

• strongly discourage the use of plastics bags.

For information on suppliers for services and products listed below, visit slf.org.au/eventplanner/home, email info@slf.org.au or call 9663 2525.

1. Planning an eventSustainable practices should be built into the event planning process.

What sustainability objectives do you want to achieve?• Who is responsible for achieving

these objectives?

• What resources are available?

• How do you best use these resources?

2. EducationDevelop an education plan to communicate the sustainability principles of the event. This could be a hand-out for project partners, staff, volunteers, contractors, performers, visitors, and media. You could also create re-usable signage at the event outlining the steps you’ve made towards improving your sustainability practice.

3. PurchasingGreen purchasing means buying products and services that have less impact on the environment and human health compared with competing products or services. You can find green products and suppliers at geca.eco/product-finder/ searching by keyword, product category or location.

Council’s Green Purchasing Policy considers:

• energy efficient and greenhouse-friendly products

• products that are water efficient and reduce water use

• products that use fewer resources for their production, during operation or for packaging

• products that use or produce less toxic material

• products that reduce ecosystem and biodiversity disruption.

Make sure your stakeholders know you want to implement green purchasing in your event planning. Remember, if you do not ask for this to be a considered, it probably won’t be.

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4. Reducing plasticSingle-use plastic has long-lasting impacts on the environment. It does not decompose but breaks into smaller pieces, becoming microscopic and remaining in the environment indefinitely.

Event planners should:

• avoid distributing single-use plastic bags

• avoid using single-use plastic for packaging and promotional purposes

• avoid selling or distributing plastics straws, bottles, cutlery – consider bamboo or wooden alternatives

• avoid distribution of balloons at outdoor events

• visit zoo.org.au/get-involved/act-for-wildlife/balloons for more information

• ask attendees to bring their own, drink bottles, keep cups and re-usable bags.

Visit plasticbagfreevictoria.org or plasticfreejuly.org for more information.

5. VenueSelecting a venue with sustainable practices can make a big difference in how sustainable your event is. Think about public transport access, energy use, suppliers and infrastructure. If you can’t use your own suppliers, make sure the venue chooses those practicing sustainably.

6. Sourcing EnergyDecreasing energy use is not only good for the environment, it’s a great way to decrease costs and leverage the marketing benefits of running an environmentally-friendly event. Pre-assess your energy needs and determine the best sources of energy such as solar power, biodiesel or green power – cycling for power is a great hit with kids! You could even generate your own renewable energies or switch to green power through a service provider.

You could select a venue that uses alternative sources of energy and find out whether the venue can monitor the energy used throughout the event. If not, there are other organisations that can help.

7. ConservationIt’s important to preserve the natural and built environment where your event is being held – an approach of ‘leave no trace’ should be proactively encouraged!

8. TicketingTickets, name badges and information packs can be managed sustainably. Go digital with an online registration tool such as Eventbrite and paperless ticketing systems then keep a list of registered attendees on your phone or tablet. Alternatively, tickets, invitations, name badges and other products should use post-consumer recycled paper.

9. InfrastructureExhibitor stands, tents and equipment should be made from sustainable products and built to be used at other events. Anything that can’t be used again should be recyclable.

10. DecorationsDecorations can be a major contributor to waste as they are often single-use. Find ways to re-use promotional material, for example, design event banners with dates and sponsors on separate panels. These may change every year but the banners will remain relevant.

11. LightingIf you can’t use natural lighting at your event, select low-wattage bulb such as LEDs, fluorescents and tungsten halogens.

12. Sound EquipmentLarge sound systems require a significant amount of energy and equipment to run so they should be strategically placed to maximise effectiveness.

13. ToiletsToilets account for a significant amount of water use at events. Reduce your impact by using reusable water for toilet flushing, producing compost through compostable toilet systems and supplying low-impact materials such as 100 per cent post-consumer waste toilet paper.

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14. Food vendorsSustainable food practices range from types of food to making concessions for exhibitors stallholders applying sustainable practices.

Focus on providing food that are:

• locally sourced - to reduce carbon emissions from transport miles

• in-season organic - to avoid harmful pesticides

• fair trade accredited - to support workers’ rights

• vegetarian or vegan - to reduce energy and water use from resource-intensive livestock farming.

Food Vendor Agreements are a great start as they allow event organisers to enforce sustainable practices. Contact Council’s Environment Team on environment@mvcc.vic.gov.au or 9243 8888 for a Food Vendor Agreements template.

15. Reducing waste from food vendorsA Wash Against Waste (WAW) system can be used to promote sustainable cleaning and food serving practices. Food vendors would serve their meals on reusable crockery that can be collected after use, transported back to the WAW station, cleaned using environmentally-friendly cleaners and solar-powered water, and then returned for further use. Ensure stallholders are aware of the impact of food packaging on the environment and are working to minimise packaging, and ensuring it is reusable and recyclable.

16. Drinking WaterDrinking water can be supplied in bulk via mobile drinking fountains or at water points connected to water tanks. Encourage visitors to bring reusable water bottles to the event through promotional material.

For not-for-profit events, City West Water provides mobile drinking fountains free of charge. Visit citywestwater.com.au for more information.

For commercial events, drinking trailers can be hired from a number of organisations including Splashdown. Visit splashdown.com.au for more information.

For conferences and meetings, avoid distributing bottles of water or plastic cups by supplying jugs of water and reusable cups.

17. PromotionsConsider environmentally-friendly ways to promote your event such as online promotions, multi-use posters and flyers, reducing the size of disposable flyers and ensuring materials consumed are sustainable (e.g. recycled paper and environmentally-friendly ink).

18. PrintingFor environmentally-friendly printing:

• choose a commercial printer that adopts best practice in environmental printing

• check for credible accreditations

• request soy-based inks

• print on 100 per cent post-consumer recycled paper.

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19. SignageThere are many ways to lower the environmental impact of signage production including making signs which can be reused or recycled, as well as those made from eco-friendly materials.

Where possible, signs should be kept as broad and general as possible so that it can be reused at future events or other events. Signage can also be produced using environmentally-friendly materials including recycled and biodegradable materials.

20. MerchandiseConsider the impacts of the materials used to make merchandise including:

• reusability

• recyclability

• durability

• energy consumption

• efficiency of materials

• harmful toxins

• workers’ welfare.

21. Travel and Transport

Public transport Encourage public transport use by:

• ensuring that there are numerous public transports options within walking distance to the event

• partnering with public transport providers or through providing other incentives such as giving discounts for event entry to those travelling on public transport

• discouraging any air travel

• schedule activities to coincide with public transport timetables.

Bicycle ServicesEncourage bicycle travel through:

• bike valet - bikes are kept in a secure location while attendees enjoy the event

• bike repairers - to deal with minor bicycle bike path routes - accessible routes should be provided

• bike loans - rent or purchase bikes to encourage staff to ride.

Contact Council’s Environment Team on environment@mvcc.vic.gov.au or 9243 9999 to find out about availability of portable bike racks.

CarpoolingPromote carpooling through event promotions or offer incentives such access to preferred parking spots or discounted registration/entry fees.

FreightReduce greenhouse emissions through bulk purchasing, dual purpose trips and planning ahead.

22. AuditingEvaluate your event’s sustainability plan by taking samples of a range of event activities and testing them against certain indicators such as industry standards or self-imposed targets.

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Questions Y N NA CommentsPlanning

1. Have you appointed someone who is responsible for planning and monitoring the effectiveness of your sustainable event practice?

Education2. Do you have an educational strategy to

promote the events’ sustainable practices before and during the event?

3. Have you made sure that staff and volunteers understand and are committed to the sustainability actions before, during and after the event?

Purchasing4. Do you plan to develop green purchasing

guidelines for all event production needs, including contractors, products and service providers?

5. Do you plan to use local suppliers, reducing travel and supporting the community where possible, for all production needs?

Venue6. Has the event organiser engaged with

prospective venues to include them in the events sustainability plan?

Sourcing energy7. Do you plan to measure and monitor energy

consumption?

8. Do the onsite temporary utilities use renewable energy sources? E.g. wind, solar, biodiesel.

9 Have you considered purchasing carbon offsets to offset any unavoidable event emissions?

10. Do you plan to reward or provide incentives for low-energy use stallholders?

Conservation11. Will you ensure that any damage to site from

temporary structures, shelters, flooring and general production is monitored and restorative measures taken?

Ticketing12. Will you use online ticketing systems or

tickets made from post-consumer recycled paper?

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Questions Y N NA CommentsInfrastructure

13. Are exhibitor stands, tents and equipment made from sustainable products and can they be reused?

Decorations14. Have you sourced decorations that can be

used again? E.g. generic banners with dates and sponsors on separate panels so they can be reused.

Lighting15. Have you scheduled the event program to

maximise daylight conditions and reduce the need for lighting?

16. Do you plan to use reduced energy-consuming LED lighting for stage, operational and feature lighting requirements?

Sound equipment17. Do you plan to use more energy-efficient

sound systems or reduce consumption?

Toilets18. Do you plan to use recycled water for toilet

flushing, composting toilets or waterless urinals to eliminate water and chemical use?

19. Will the event use 100 per cent post-consumer waste toilet paper?

Food vendors20. Have you put in place a food vendor

agreement that sets out policies on waste management, types of food packaging, food preferences, cleaning practices etc.?

21. Have you considered the viability of implementing a reusable crockery/cutlery washing system to eliminate single-use serving items?

22. Have you specified that preference will be given to stallholders supplying organic, vegetarian, fair trade and local produce?

Drinking water23. Will you supply drinking water to minimise

the sale of bottles and encourage the use of reusable containers?

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Questions Y N NA CommentsPromotions

24. Have you considered how to use your sustainable event practice as a positive marketing tool to attract visitors, stallholders, sponsors, presenters and media?

25. Does the marketing strategy focus on reducing advertising material? For example, email instead of printed flyers, reduced-size flyers referencing a website for further information?

Printing26. Will you use sustainable printing practices for

all printing requirements? E.g. soy based ink, recycled paper.

Signage27. Will you use reusable signage made from

sustainable materials?

Merchandise

28. Will you have a merchandising standard for all participating vendors, which will include eliminating unsustainable promotional giveaways?

Travel and transport29. Do you promote and encourage walking,

cycling, carpooling and the use of public transport?

30. Do you plan to provide suitable and secure facilities to cater for cyclists?

Auditing31. Do you plan to measure the ecological

footprint across all areas of the events’ production to measure environmental sustainability of the event?

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Questions Y N NA CommentsPlastic Reduction

32. Have attendees been encouraged to bring their own bottles, cups and bags?

33. Have stallholders been encouraged to consider alternatives to plastic?

34. Do the event promotion materials communicate the impacts of plastic on the environment and encourage alternatives?

35. Have event organisers agreed not to use balloons at outdoor events?

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