Office Party
Celebrate Green by driving your company's eco-gatherings
While many companies today purport to pursue eco-friendly policies, if this is more of a fashion statement than a reality at your own place of business, what can you do?
Of course, encouraging the use of recyclables and recycling day to day is important, but when it comes to special activities--meetings, parties, grand openings, you can play a role even if special events coordinator is not in your job description.
If your company is large enough to have someone in this role, there are several ways you can help:
- Ask for appointment to discuss how the company can save money and live up to its eco-commitments at the same time.
- Do your homework. Read our book, Celebrate Green! for ideas on how you can purchase items made from renewable resources and make creative decorations that cost next to nothing.
- Ask the event planner about the budget and what it covers. Then suggest you try to find substitutes at equivalents to everything on the list for less cost. (Better yet, ask if he'd be willing to do the research himself!)
- If your company has green or eco-policies, talk with the event planner to ensure they are addressed at all events. For instance, if groups regularly "do lunch," are recycling bins available in the meeting room? Does the company stock items in glass rather than aluminum containers?
- Suggest to the event planner that games and activities cost nothing and provide a lot of added fun. Offer to come up with ideas.
- Supply a list of caterers who use local foods.
- Offer to carpool to work and home with some fellow employees on the day of a special event.
- If your company plans to host or be at a convention, check out information from the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions.
And if you don't want to do this alone, consider contacting us. We are happy to consult with companies interested in greening up their special events.