By David Jenkin

How long has the EGF been around and why was it established?

The Event Greening Forum is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote sustainability within the events industry – events, by their nature, are very wasteful.  The EGF was established in 2012 by Justin Hawes (managing director of Scan Display) and Grace Stead (managing director of Steadfast Greening). The EGF is supported by eight industry associations, which are recognised as founding members and are key industry associations. The EGF hosts educational sessions for the industry and lobbies government in an effort to implement sustainable principles into the daily operations of the events industry.

How does the EGF typically operate, and what kind of events do you deal with?

The EGF is a small organisation that facilitates the sharing of information, rather than actually organising events. The EGF conducts a number of training sessions throughout the year.  They also organise a series of networking sessions throughout the year where members can share information. The EGF’s annual conference provides a great platform for like-minded industry professionals to gain insights, need-to-know information and trends on event greening. We have a number of resources and guides that are available to all on our website.

Please give us some examples of typically wasteful practices at events that can be done better. What is the most glaring kind of wastefulness?

The most glaring issue, and one of the simplest to deal with, is waste management – preventing and reducing waste, recycling and managing your waste whether it is plastic, paper et cetera, or food waste. The EGF website lists a number of solutions and interventions that can be employed and used in conjunction with the above-mentioned resources.

Can you name some recent events that the EGF has been involved with, and in what capacity?

Most recently, we have assisted with the registration of three South African cities on the Global Destination Sustainability Index (GDS-Index).

We are currently finalising the Event Greening Forum Sustainable Events Minimum Standards, and we are busy facilitating the eco-audit for Meetings Africa 2017 which will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from Tuesday, 28 February to Wednesday, 1 March.

Our first training session is scheduled for Tuesday, 14 March. We can also facilitate in-house training for companies.

Can you offer any advice to local PR companies and event organisers who want to go green? What is a good way for them to start?

Our advice is just to get started – too many people see the greening of an event as a daunting task, but once you take that first step, it loses its fearsomeness. There are so many things you can do, even in a small way. For example, from not using bottled water, serving condiments in bulk and not in individual wrappers, to ensuring that the food served is seasonal, locally produced and organic.

Can you offer any advice on how to avoid greenwashing?

Work with a reputable company that can guide you through the process of organising a successful environmentally-sound event. Environmental audits (aka eco audits) are becoming important, as they highlight the steps that were taken to ensure the event was sustainable. Don’t be afraid to share the results of the audit with the delegates and public after the event has ended, as this adds to the event’s credibility. Auditing your event also helps to set benchmarks and provides insight into the successes and shortfalls of the event’s sustainability, which helps improve the event’s greening year-on-year.

If the event takes place on a regular basis, consider using branding that can be re-used for future events. Companies that claim they are organising a sustainable event but print new graphics unnecessarily, and without any thought, are effectively greenwashing. If branding has been re-used many times and is looking tired, then one should make sure that the old branding is disposed of in a sustainable way.

If you have arranged for biodegradable packaging at the event, ensure that staff, delegates and exhibitors are aware that the packaging should not be disposed of through normal means. Although the definition of biodegradable is ‘capable of being broken down – decomposed’, it still requires the addition of specific substances to do so.

Educate yourself and your team members – planning an event always has its challenges, but equipping your team with the right tools and know-how helps to simplify this process.

For more information, visit www.eventgreening.co.za. Alternatively, connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.