Have you ever been overwhelmed by the concept of sustainability?
I have.
There are so many things we can do to improve in the areas of waste, greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water, social impact… the list goes on.
But each improvement requires consideration, buy-in from stakeholders, and changes to how we work.
When I started my business, I was incredibly excited about how many possibilities there are to improve sustainability for an event. I made lists of hundreds of ideas and strategies.
I’m still excited about the possibilities, but now I’ve learned that it’s not realistic to pursue every opportunity at once.
Taking on too much change at one time is often the best way to prevent any of the changes from actually being successful.
Success is much more likely if you take on one change at a time, and focus on executing that one change well.
That’s why over the last few months, I’ve reframed my business to focus less on broad sustainability consulting, and more on a core set of green event services:
- Recycling
- Composting
- Food Waste Prevention & Donation
- Floral Donation
- Sustainability Measurement
These services are designed to be entry points for event professionals to take their first steps into sustainability. They can be undertaken one at a time or mixed-and-matched to create a program that is, above all, attainable for the event at hand.
One thing I never hesitate to tell event professionals is: You don’t have to do it all at once. Dipping just your big toe into sustainable practices is OK!
It’s a lot better than staying out of the water entirely.
Whatever efforts you’re trying to make in your business, know that I’m cheering for you, whether you’re aiming for zero waste, or just starting to recycle office paper for the first time.