Voices: Event Planning Goes Green
“I’ve reported on Princeton’s Greening Reunions Alumni Working Group, which has been working to make reunions more sustainable, with the ultimate vision of carbon neutrality and zero waste. In the past, reunions sustainability efforts had been largely ad hoc, but since GRAWG was formed in 2020, $38,800 has been raised to purchase carbon offsets to cover travel emissions, campus dining has offered more vegetarian and beef-free meals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and both compostable and reusable cups have been piloted to prevent the use of hundreds of thousands of nonrecyclable plastic cups.”
“We’re serious about going green. We’re also fans of celebrations and gatherings. To satisfy these values, we’ve created a Green Event Checklist, which we provide for anyone planning an event on our campus. Events that meet these guidelines receive a Green Event Certificate.”
“Our alumni events have taken the following steps to increase sustainability efforts: For drinks, we use Mason jars and removable stickers with a QR code and space to write names (alumni can also take these home and reuse them); we use digital signage across campus in hallways and event spaces to save on the costs of printed materials; and our catering partners use compostable materials to serve food, creating less waste after each event. As our school is constantly thinking about its ecological footprint, we are finding ways to contribute to enhancing our Earth.”
“We introduced these sustainability practices at our alumni events— some recently but others have been in place for quite some time. We print a very low number of invitations on recycled paper. We use no disposable items at our off-campus reunions, and at our on-campus reunions we try to limit the purchase of items in plastic packaging. We encourage attendees to use public transportation to reach venues and to take any leftover food and drink with them. The alumni publications we previously handed out during reunions are now mainly online and we give attendees QR codes. During school tours, which are a big part of our on-campus reunions, we point out recycling stations to alumni and encourage them to turn off lights once they leave certain areas of the building. We produce limited swag for events, and our catering partners for reunions try to serve organic and locally sourced produce.”
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Article appears in:
May-June 2024 Issue of Currents
FINDING THE RIGHT WORDS: Best practices for responding in high-stakes situations. Also, how to diversify your donor pipeline, why mentoring matters, and harnessing the narrative with the seven basic plots of storytelling.