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

2. 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”

3. Three Spheres of Sustainability

4. 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.

5. 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

6. 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.

7. Sustainable Event Planning

8. 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.

9. 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 confirmation
Eventbrite
ConstantContact

10. 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

11. 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

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

13. 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!

14. 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

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

19. 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.

20. 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.

21. 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 For additional assistance with greening your event, please contact the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office at or