At Fandango Catering and Events, our brand and mission is to help clients make each event as sustainable as possible.
Recently on the Event Managers group forum on Linked In, someone asked whether there WAS such a thing as a green event. The question generated dozens of comments. What surprised us was that most of the comments mentioned only paper and travel as the areas where an event can be made greener. There are SO many other ways that an event, whether a dinner party for ten, a cocktail party for 50, or a wedding for 200, can be made more sustainable.
On our end, we make it our policy to try to make each event we do as sustainable as possible within the client's vision and budget. As the years have gone by we've gotten better and better at this, and today we pass along 5 tips to help you make your event or wedding more sustainable this year--Choose those that are doable for you:
Select mostly local food--For large events like a wedding, that doesn't necessarily mean buying from specialized farmer's markets. The problem with specialized farmer's markets is that they don't sell large quantities (such as for an event for 100), nor do they take "orders," so to speak, so they're not a workable option for a large event, though for small events they work well.
Solution? Source, or have whomever's preparing the food source, at a local restaurant row market. Many of these restaurant row vendors operate as the outlet for their family farms to the restaurant and catering trade, and most do take large orders with enough lead time, or have enough on hand daily for large purchases. Or now some large supermarkets also source from local family farms; usually these products are labeled as such, or you can inquire. Downside: supermarkets don't take large orders--but they're fine for local food for a smaller event.
If you use anything paper at an event, make sure it gets recycled--We've seen many events where table menus, place cards, programs, and napkins get left behind on tables and the floor when the guests leave. If you're too busy hosting or you're getting married, ask someone to do this, going through the event space at the end and picking up all paper and taking it to a recycling bin. Apps for event check ins and so forth to save paper? The electronic element consumes more fossil fuel than if you used paper instead and recycled it--or even if you don't recycle it.
Avoid paper doilies by using serving pieces that don't need them--As of 2012 we no longer use doilies unless a client asks for them. If you have nice trays and serving pieces you don't need them, and the look has moved away from doilies to more "standout" or "interesting" serving pieces.
Consider: Using many tea lights looks beautiful, but if you're in a warm climate tea lights make the event space hotter, so you have to turn the air conditioning up, wasting more fossil fuel. Candelabras, both table ones and tall standing ones, also lend the glow of candlelight with less heat.
More ideas? Look for upcoming blog posts.
Warmly,
Kristina
Fandango Catering and Events
(713) 522-0077
www.fandango-catering.com
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