Sustainability
(More) Sustainable event planning
When planning events, the issue of sustainability can be taken into account from the outset. This includes not only ecological, but also economic and social aspects. On the one hand, events have an impact on the environment through materials, mobility and energy consumption; on the other hand, visitors to the event can be sensitised to the issue of sustainability and act as multipliers. There are also economic advantages, as the responsible use of event materials saves money.
How will your participants travel? What do the venue and catering look like? Try to consider a sustainable orientation of the different fields of action in all phases of the event organisation. To support you in this, the different fields of action for sustainable event planning are discussed here. All the points listed are relevant for the organisation, implementation and follow-up of the event. A compact summary of the points can also be found in the checklist.
Venue
The topic of sustainability can already be taken into account when choosing the venue. The size of the room has an impact on energy efficiency, so the room size should be sensibly adapted to the number of participants. You can indicate the minimum and maximum number of seats required at the university's central room scheduling in order to find a suitably sized room.
Information dissemination
Information, invitations, registration confirmations, programme booklets etc. can also be sent digitally. If you want to create a digital conference folder, you can, for example, use the pinboard app TaskCards provided by the university. Make sure you only print out the most important information (on both sides if possible) and avoid paper-filled conference folders and duplications of printed information if possible. When printing out event documents, you should also look for seals such as the "Blue Angel" and print necessary documents on recycled paper.
Mobility
Usually, the greatest environmental impact at events is caused by travel to and from the event, especially when it involves events with international guests. The principle of "avoid - reduce - compensate" applies here. So event planning starts by asking whether it can be replaced by a digital format. Of course, however, there are many reasons for an on-site event; face-to-face exchanges are an important part of excellent science. Sometimes, however, a compromise can be a hybrid format, where individual guests with a longer journey can join the face-to-face event online. At Bielefeld University, almost all lecture halls and seminar rooms now have Smartboards with digital conference technology, the so-called DTENs.
Provide information in advance about more climate-friendly ways to travel to and from the event, for example through the event website or documents, and explicitly ask those arriving to travel in a more climate-friendly way in order to support the sustainability efforts of Bielefeld University. As a large city with connections to the DB long-distance network, Bielefeld is in most cases easily accessible by train from places within Germany as well as neighbouring countries. Bielefeld University itself can also be reached from the main train station in about 7 minutes by taking train line 4. In addition, there are various bicycle rental systems, such as "meinSiggi", which are well suited for the last metre to a public transport station. If travelling by train from Germany or neighbouring countries is not an option, you can organise carpooling . As an organiser, you have a good overview of where guests are travelling from. Use this knowledge and perhaps point out to guests from one region that a carpool could be formed.
Tip: Further information on the topic of sustainable mobility can be found in the information flyer "Nachhaltige(re) Dienstreisen" (Sustainable business travel ) in the sustainability portal.
Food & Drink
The exchange at the bar table with snacks and a cool drink is part of many events. When ordering food, make sure to choose seasonal, regional and vegetarian or vegan products as much as possible. For products from overseas (e.g. coffee or bananas), but also for regional products, you can look for the Fair Trade seal.
It doesn't always have to be cakes and biscuits. Fruit or seasonal vegetables can also be tasty snacks. To avoid food waste, calculate your quantities as accurately as possible. If something is left over, fruit and vegetables that have not yet been cut can be a healthy snack for the upcoming lunch breaks in your working area.
When it comes to drinks, you can also pay attention to regionality by offering juices made from local fruit, for example. But regional lemonades are also a variant: here, for example, the transport distances are often very short. You can simply provide water from the tap in carafes. This saves packaging, transport routes and is easily possible at Bielefeld University.
Except for a few disposable containers for taking away leftovers, reusable dishes, drinking glasses and carafes should be used instead of disposable tableware and individual small drinking bottles. This not only saves waste, but also costs.
Did you know? The campus catering of the Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs] Bielefeld also includes numerous vegetarian and vegan options. The coffee is fair trade - as in all Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs] departments. The Studierendenwerk [Association for Student Affairs] also offers regional lemonades. The advantage: although the regional lemonades are more expensive, if you provide water from the tap in glass carafes, you often even save money.
If you order catering from other suppliers at Bielefeld University, you can easily get plant-based milk alternatives, organic milk and some vegan products there aswell.
Place & Surroundings
If you organise accommodation for your guests, make sure that it is in the immediate vicinity of Bielefeld University or very well connected to the university by public transport. When choosing hotels, look for environmental labels such as EMAS registration or the European Eco-label. It is recommended to book hotels awarded Gold by Dehoga-Umweltckeck, as these establishments comply with certain limits for energy and resource consumption.
Energy
Responsible use of energy at the venue not only helps to create a pleasant working atmosphere, but also to reduce general energy consumption. To ensure a good indoor climate, ventilate for several minutes in between instead of leaving windows tilted and turn off electrical appliances during breaks. At the end of the event, when leaving the rooms, make sure that all appliances are shut down, the heating is turned down and the lights are switched off.
Gifts for instructors
If you would like to give your guests a little something as a gift, make sure it is sustainably produced (see procurement). The university shop at Bielefeld University, for example, offers some sustainable products, such as the notebook made of eco-paper, cloth bags made of cotton, etc. A potted plant that will bring joy for years to come can also be a suitable gift. Make sure that the plants come from a regional cultivation and are labelled with a seal such as Fairtrade, Demeter, Naturland or the EU organic seal.
Waste
Make sure that any waste, such as leftover food, leftover event documents, etc., is disposed of properly at the end of the event. Point out to participants the possibilities of separating waste in the hallways of the university. Further information on correct waste separation can be found here.
Further information
Further information on sustainable event planning can be found in the Federal Environment Agency's guide to sustainable event planning, in which all aspects are again presented in detail.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact the Sustainability Office at Bielefeld University at any time:
Office: V7-103
Telephone: +49 521 106-86890
Email: nachhaltigkeitsbuero@uni-bielefeld.de