Sustainable Event Greening Guide Tips for Reducing the Environmental Impact of Your Next Event

Sustainability and Environmental Management Office (SEMO) Who We Are SEMO supports the Vanderbilt University community and facilities by identifying, inspiring, innovating, and quantifying environmental management and sustainability initiatives that positively impact the campus community, surrounding community, and the environment. SUSTAINABILITY: “meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”

Three Spheres of Sustainability

The Vision “We should consider Vanderbilt our home base, our sacred ground, and treat it as such.” (Nicholas S. Zeppos, Campus Land Use Symposium, November 2015)   “The campuses I like best have not only good spaces and buildings, but also a recognizable and memorable character. This special character has become the image identified with the institution and helps to strengthen the bond among its members.” (Cesar Pelli, “Thoughts on American Campuses”) . Articulate a comprehensive vision for the university’s footprint to support the academic strategic plan and provide a basis for campus stewardship that enhances the university’s mission.

Guiding Principles All planning efforts are guided by the FutureVU Guiding Principles created based on feedback from the Vanderbilt community. The principles state: Vanderbilt is an internationally recognized research university with strong partnerships among its schools Research, teaching and discovery Vanderbilt believes that diversity and inclusion are integral to its mission Understanding the humanistic nature of Vanderbilt’s mission Vanderbilt is a community of neighborhoods Expand the social infrastructure of the Vanderbilt community Vanderbilt is a historic, multi-layered and vigorous campus Strengthen Vanderbilt’s unique campus character Vanderbilt is a university that resides in a unique and distinctive park setting Preserve, strengthen and expand Vanderbilt’s aesthetic character Vanderbilt is a walkable and sustainable campus Emphasize Vanderbilt’s walkable campus and enhance the connectivity of all areas of campus Vanderbilt is a citizen of Nashville and the region Contribute to the intellectual and cultural life of the region, and promote sustainable behavior and practices

VU Environmental Commitment Statement Vanderbilt University is a local and global community leader committed to environmental stewardship, protecting natural resources, and enhancing quality of life while maintaining academic, medical, social, and economic productivity. Through proactive education, research, and outreach, we strive to: Develop and transfer knowledge, increase awareness, and promote lifelong learning about sustainability best practices for the benefit of stakeholders who comprise the Vanderbilt community (students, patients, faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors), as well as the broader Nashville, state, national, and global communities; Achieve the highest standards of sustainability through a process of environmental responsibility and accountability at every level of University activity; and Consistently implement, monitor, evaluate, and improve our process.

Sustainable Event Planning https://www.vanderbilt.edu/sustainvu/resources/greening-guides/sustainable-event-greening-guide/

Sustainable Event Planning Campus events are a significant source of Vanderbilt’s environmental impact. This magnitude of this impact can be reduced by being mindful of certain strategies before, during, and after the planned event. Environmental Impacts of Large Events: Communication Travel Food Consumption Product Consumption Food and Product Waste By its very nature, a large event or meeting brings people together who must travel, who will consume food and products, and who will produce waste. These guidelines were developed to help you think about the environmental impact of your event and how to minimize that impact as much as possible. More specific information pertaining to event transportation, communication, catering, decorating, waste minimization, and recycling will be discussed.

Reduce Before the event: Publicize through electronic channels Keep printed materials small, if needed at all Detailed information can be saved for the website Green printing alternatives through VU Printing Services: Vegetable based inks Sustainable paper options such as 100% recycled content, Forest Stewardship Certified (FSC) paper, or tree-free paper Online registration and electronic payment with email confirmation Eventbrite ConstantContact

Reduce Before the event: Communicate green principles to speakers PowerPoint > Handouts Dry erase boards > flip chart paper Make necessary handout materials available online Purchase gifts / materials that save energy or reduce waste Almost any commonly ordered item has an environmentally friendly alternative Are gifts even necessary? How about a donation in their name? Maybe come prepped with some concrete examples of environmentally friendly alternatives to stuff

Reuse After the event: Collect recyclables, turn off lights & equipment, re-use items Think about how to reuse event materials If event is annual, what can be reused each year? Provide and recollect reusable items such as nametag holders and lanyards Decorate with natural and reusable items Whole fruit Flowers Herbs and plants can be planted and enjoyed after the event Donate excess food to food banks, if possible: Second Harvest Food Bank Nashville Rescue Mission

Recycle ON CAMPUS Request recycling bins from Plant Ops Contact Vanderbilt’s recycling manager at: recycle@vanderbilt.edu OFF CAMPUS Specify in your catering contract for the caterer to provide recycling containers Visit Metro Nashville’s recycling web page

Recycle Make recycling as easy as possible: Place bins next to trash cans Communicate to your guests where they can recycle Label bins clearly Use restrictive lids (indicate recycling type by shape of lid opening)  Remember to match your recycling bins to the products that will be used during your event!

Food Consider the lifecycle of the event’s food: How was it grown? How was it transported? How is it packaged? How much waste is produced? Choose caterers whose values align with Vanderbilt’s sustainability goals, such as using locally-grown and organic food: VU Catering Whole Foods Market Martha Stamps Catering Karla’s Catering and Prepared Foods Taste Catering  

Food Did you know? Coffee is the second-most traded commodity in the world. Your choice in coffee really does make a difference! Serve sustainable coffee, such as shade-grown, fair-trade, organic, bird-certified, etc. (available from most coffee wholesalers). Buy coffee from local brewers to reduce transportation related carbon emissions. Look into coffee from Bongo Java, Frothy Monkey, and OSA.

Food Service Use reusable china plates and utensils whenever possible to reduce the waste of disposables. Look for local party companies to rent reusable dining and party items. If disposables must be used, here are some choices, recommended in order of least environmental impact: paper products with a high recycled content (i.e. paper cups or napkins made with recycled paper) bioware that is made of corn, potatoes, etc. that is biodegradable or compostable recyclable plastic ware. Earth-friendlier cups are available from American Paper and Twine (APT) through E-Procurement.

Food Service If you must use disposable service products, choose the most sustainable option: Dixie's Insulair Hot/Cold Cups are made of 25% post-consumer recycled paper material with a 100% post-consumer recycled built-in sleeve. Solo’s "Bare" Hot/Cold Cups are made of at least 10% post-consumer recycled paper material and comes in sizes 4 to 20 ounces. Solo’s “Bare” Plastic cup is made of 20% recycled PET. For more options on earth friendlier product choices, please contact Vanderbilt Purchasing Services.

Drink Packaging Eliminate excess packaging by serving drinks in large containers with sustainable cups instead of plastic, aluminum or glass single-servings. Provide bulk water, coffee, lemonade, tea and drink dispensers instead of individually packaged products. Consider using water coolers instead of water bottles. If your event is offering soft drinks and/or plastic water bottles, downsize the serving. Choose the 12-ounce size over the standard 16-ounce to reduce waste.

Food Packaging Provide bulk food such as salads or wrap/sandwich platters instead of individual box lunches. Provide food in lunch bags with recycled content instead of paperboard lunch boxes. Serve bite-sized or finger foods to minimize plate and utensil use Get an accurate count of attendance and special dietary requests (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, etc.) before the event to eliminate excess food waste. Use this calculator from Save the Food to help estimate the amount of food to order for your event. Buy napkins that have post-consumer paper content. Whole Foods carries napkins with 80% to 100% post-consumer recycled material.

Transportation and Lodging When planning an event, make sure to provide options for environmentally-friendly transportation. Consider holding a small conference or meeting via video-conference to eliminate travel. Provide local accommodations that are within walking distance to the event. Look for hotels that implement sustainable practices. Hire shuttles to transport participants in groups to and from airports or hotels. Give information about public transportation to reduce the use of individual car travel. Post a ride-share network on the event’s website for carpooling opportunities.

Thank you for your interest in creating a more sustainable Vanderbilt Thank you for your interest in creating a more sustainable Vanderbilt! Check out SustainVU’s other Sustainability Guides. For more information on any of the greening suggestions above or general sustainability information, please visit https://www.vanderbilt.edu/SustainVU. For additional assistance with greening your event, please contact the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office at 615.322.9022 or sustainvu@vanderbilt.edu.