Reduce ecological impact of corporate meetings and events

14 ways to reduce the ecological impact of corporate events and meetings—some simple and cheap, some not so much.

1. Use LEDs

Lighting is one of the most obvious ways an event consumes energy, and a growing number of technologies offer more earth-friendly solutions. While long-life fluorescent bulbs are replacing traditional incandescent lights in consumers' homes, this isn't a practical solution for most event planners.

LED lights, on the other hand, win raves from lighting and event specialists for their convenience and low energy usage. An LED fixture of comparable brightness uses up to 80 percent less energy than its conventional counterpart. Another perk of LED lights is that the lights themselves come in every color of the rainbow, so there's no need to set up huge (and labor-intensive) rigs with films if you want a multicolored look.

2. Rethink Your Cars

While hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius are the best-known, there are a variety of alternative-fuel vehicles on the road, and a few forward-thinking car services are offering these vehicles. For large groups, the company can offer hybrid diesel shuttles as an alternative.

3. Table New Cloths

Now let's look at table linens—and the materials they're made of. As with food, you can go the organic route, using organic cotton and linen. While hemp has an earth-friendly image, environmental experts are on the fence as to its actual benefits as an eco-friendly event textile; proponents point out that it's much easier on the earth to grow hemp than to grow cotton or to produce synthetics like polyester. And don't forget to ask about the dye process—conventional dyeing methods use harsh chemicals.

Before placing an order, consider this: If you're not having linens custom-made, you'll probably be reusing existing linens, and reusing is always a green option.

4. Go Organic

It's hard to find a person who isn't acquainted with the idea of chemical- and additive-free food, and a growing number of companies are turning to sustainable and organic catering for internal as well as promotional events.

5. Skip the Styrofoam

Rental firms can rejoice—their business model is already eco-friendly. When it comes to disposables, plastic and plastic-foam dishes are so last century. The cutting edge of disposable tableware is plates, bowls, and even flatware made from plant-based materials: starches from corn, potatoes, or sugarcane, or fast-growing plants like bamboo.

6. Reduce Garbage

Many green events have prominently displayed recycling containers next to regular trashcans, and a few have gone so far as to include composting containers.

7. Avoid Vinyl

Vinyl is the conventional choice for a customized backdrop; what it offers in ubiquity and convenience, however, it lacks in earth-friendliness. Not only is the material made from nonrenewable resources, but there's no way to recycle it effectively.

That said, it's tough to find a replacement without dreaming up an entirely different kind of display, which will be pricier and more complicated.

8. Donate Leftovers

Another way to reduce an event's waste is by donating leftovers. It can be harder to track down groups that want to take your leftovers outside of major cities. You will always be able to find someone—sometimes even a homeless shelter—grateful for the provisions, but sometimes it takes more work. Ask your venue, though; the folks there can often point you in the direction of a recipient.

Cost: Since most food-rescue organizations will provide containers for packaging leftovers and pick up the food, this shouldn't put a ding in your budget at all. The exception would be if you're donating on a one-off basis to a group (such as a shelter) that doesn't have an established program; in that case, you might need to factor in the expense of containers and ferrying the food to its destination.

9. Keep Plants Alive

Depending on whether or not you plan to reuse them for future events, using plants can be a highly cost-effective option—provided the decorations and planters aren't overly extravagant.

10. Nix Single Servings

Water bottles are convenient and ubiquitous, but all those bottles usually wind up in landfills, and the water in half-full bottles is poured down the drain—a tremendous waste, environmental advocates say. Lunches should not be pre-boxed if possible, and side items like chips and cookies should be offered loose, in bowls or platters rather than in individual packages.

11. Offset Emissions

Carbon offsetting has gotten a lot of buzz lately, but environmental experts are divided on its effectiveness. It works like this: Go to the Web site of a carbon-offsetting service such as Driving Green or Carbon Fund and plug in a few vital stats about your event. The service calculates how much carbon dioxide the event will produce and gives you a dollar amount.

12. Tweak the Temp

Controlling the temperature in the room can definitely be earth-friendly—lowering the heat in the winter and keeping the AC down or off in the summer both save energy. The question remains whether it's guest-friendly as well

13. Print Wisely

Event specialists have many options when it comes to making invitations and programs more eco-conscious. When it comes to ink, soy-based inks are preferable to conventional inks, which are made from nonrenewable petroleum. But an even more earth-friendly option is using vegetable-based inks, since soybeans aren't always grown in an eco-friendly manner. Ask upfront if your printer can provide one or the other, since eco-friendly inks aren't yet as commonly available as recycled paper.

14. Cut the Handouts

For some events, the option of replacing paper programs or binders with CDs or flash drives—thumb-sized devices that store data and can be plugged into any computer's USB port—can be a godsend. If attendees typically leave laden with handouts (including many, let's face it, they'll never look at), flash drives are not only thoughtful but stand a better chance of actually being taken home and read. You can also consider having maps and directions available for download onto cell phones, PDAs, or other gadgets, so guests don't have to print them out, if you have an appropriately tech-savvy crowd.