ASN Green Conferences

ASN Events considers itself an advocate for sustainable events, working with our clients to achieve the best outcomes for those events and the environment. In organising The World Sustainable Building 2008 (SB08) conference we worked with Melbourne Convention Exhibition Centre (MCEC) to help run our first carbon neutral conference and develop green conferencing policy. ASN has since built on this initial success and is now a leader in managing conferences with the smallest ecological and carbon footprint possible.

We embrace all environmental initiatives offered by venues and work from our own established guidelines to minimise environmental impact and maximise event success. As an example, ASN Events was responsible for organising the very successful Thin Green Line Music Festival in February 2009 on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. The event itself achieved Gold Waste Wise certification and is being used as a benchmark for other outdoor festivals on the Mornington Peninsula.

Organising a Sustainable Conference

Broadly there are three key elements:

1. Each activity of the conference should be designed to minimise waste and energy usage.

2. The conference can commit (as part of its budget) to offset carbon use by putting funds into a carbon offset program.

3. Providing information to allow delegates to make the appropriate decision to assist in reducing their carbon footprint.

In many cases adopting these elements have permanently changed the processes/choices of the venue leaving a heritage beyond the meeting.

Individual strategies:

• Travel: Delegates should be encouraged to offset their travel (easy with air travel). The location of the conference should be such that travel is limited or is easily reached by public transport. When travel by car, carpooling is encouraged.

• Energy: The main energy use of any conference is electricity (i.e. lighting, heating/cooling, cooking, transport of food and goods). It is estimated that 90% of conference carbon generated is power.

• Solution: the purchase of green power for the venue for the duration of the conference.

• Food: Adoption of the 100 mile (160 kilometre) policy is one way of ensuring the vast majority of food is local. This limits energy spent on transport, refrigeration/storage.

  • This supports local produce and producers.

  • Menu choices avoiding non sustainable product s (e.g. tuna, hake).

  • Food left over is given to Oz Harvest or similar.

• Accommodation: ASN can rate hotels based on their green credentials. This information is published on the conference web site to allow delegate to make informed decisions.

• Collateral:

  • Avoid satchel inserts provide alternatives such as advertisements in the proceedings

  • Avoid printed material electronic proceedings/programs / conference app preferred

  • Satchels: If required, they should be reusable and made from recyclable material (eg bamboo, cotton).

  • Recycle and reuse lanyards and badge holders

  • Any printing should be on recycled paper and with vegetable inks.

  • Doubled sided printing

• Venue:

  • Use of crockery not disposable vessels

  • Tap water rather than bottled water or recyclable and reusable bottles

  • Waste separation and waste minimisation policy and practice

  • Worm farms for food waste

    Rainwater collection

All these solutions require working with others i.e. the venues, hotels, suppliers and delegates, working towards a common goal.