Trends in the conference industry change every year. However, for several years in a row, there is one trend that remains at the 1st position without edits. We are talking about sustainable development – sustainability. Professional event organizers, large locations, travel agencies and event business associations become “green”.
Together, they are looking for new forms of attraction for tourists, including conference delegates, with an emphasis on ecology. They start with a small one: bicycle parking near congress centers, reusable bottles as a souvenir for forum participants, flash drives instead of printed conference materials. And then – more: solar stations to generate their own electricity, cooperation with local farmers, fundraising campaigns to support eco-initiatives.
Sorting – in general, it has become commonplace. And not only because of eco-consciousness, but because it is financially profitable, it is required by the law and the customers themselves.
In Ukraine, we already see that in some forums, conferences, there are boxes for separate collection of garbage. Paper and plastic fill the most. But we haven’t made friends with the organics yet. There is a stereotype that this is complex, unclear. And the standard question is: “I’m going to sort it, and where will it go next?“
This year there is an answer to this question for the organizers of events in Lviv. There is a composting station that collects all organic matter. During 2021, almost 8000 tons of organic matter arrived there. All this waste was converted into compost, which residents and agribusinesses bought for the needs of their farms. 240 tons of soil mixture were also produced at the composting station, which became fertilizer for trees planted in parks, squares and green areas of Lviv in autumn.
Useful, profitable and environmentally friendly.
We understand that it will take some time to switch all events to eco mode. But we can make changes in small steps. Sorting organics is not as complicated a process as it may seem. ZERO Waste Lviv and Green City have a lot of cool information to start with.
We are also happy to share a guide from the University of Iowa, where it is simple and with pictures shown how to make your event “green”.
And a classy study from the ICCA. The organization showed how it consciously approached the organization of the 58th Congress, held in the United States in 2019. There is everything here: from how they chose the location, what they came up with the sorting and waste to the involvement of participants in environmental trainings, the creation of eco-lounges, etc.
