Make a big impact with a low impact event!
Conference and meeting attendees react positively to low-impact events. When planning an event at Bentley consider the waste that your event will generate. Attendees do not expect to be showered with extra notebooks, pens and print-outs especially when provided with information at registration about your commitment to sustainability and waste reduction. Use the simple steps below to reduce your events' impact.
Sustainable Catering Options
Food service can be the biggest contribution to waste at an event, and this waste is completely avoidable. Bentley Dining offers many sustainable alternatives for food service, you simply have to ask for them. See screen capture below showing where the request should be made in the Event Management System.
- Request tap water in pitchers with glasses or reusable hard plastic cups instead of bottled water.
- Request large bowls full of pretzels and snacks with serving spoons instead of individual snack bags.
- If there are bartenders at your event, make sure that Bentley Dining provides them recycling bins for cans and bottles.
- Request china and silverware instead of paper plates and plastic cutlery. (extra charge)
← Coffee and tea served in china cups with spoons instead of paper cups, plastic lids
and wood or plastic throw away stirrers
← Water stations with reusable cups instead of bottled waterBulk milk and cream instead of individual creamer packages
← Water stations with reusable cups instead of bottled water
← Bulk food service
Enter these requests in the "special instructions" box when ordering catering for your event.
Copy and paste the following into "special instructions" (edit as needed):
Please provide china, silverware and glasses. Please provide tap water in pitchers and juice in carafes (no bottled water or juices). Please provide bulk condiments (butter, sugar, etc.). Please ensure recycling bin and trash can are side by side in the room.
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- Publicize your event electronically via email, the Bentley calendar, Twitter and Facebook.
- If mailings are required, avoid sending full brochures. Instead use postcards to direct participants to a website with more information about the event.
- Register and confirm attendees through an online system; it's easier to track.
Materials
- Encourage presenters to use PowerPoint presentations instead of handouts.
- Suggest that participants bring their own notebook and pen instead of providing every attendee with extra materials. Most conference attendees plan to bring a notebook and pen regardless. You can also set up a small pile of paper and pens at the registration table with a sign that says they are available for attendees who may have forgotten their own materials.
Waste
If you have requested the sustainable catering options above your event should generate very little waste. Regardless, ensure that recycling bins and trash cans are set up side-by-side at your event.
- Most conference rooms in LaCava are equipped with trash cans and recycling bins, request that they are set up side-by-side in EMS under "set up notes."
- If your event will be outdoors or in another indoor location on campus request recycling bins and trash cans through the "set up notes" in EMS.
Education
- Include a note about your group's commitment to sustainability in the registration materials. For example: "The Center for Women and Business is committed to sustainability, as such we are working hard to reduce the waste generated from this event. Please help us reduce our impact by bringing your own notepad and pen."
- Include a note about your group's commitment to sustainability in the conference agenda. For example: "The Center for Women and Business is committed to sustainability, as such we are working hard to reduce the waste generated from this event. Instead of providing single-use items such as bottled water, plastic plates and plastic cutlery we have committed to using pitchers of tap water, reusable glasses, china and silverware. Please help us reduce our impact by recycling properly during our event."
- Contact the Office of Sustainability for an Office of Sustainability logo file to be included in your conference materials.