2. Event Logistics:
Catering and accommodations: Provide meals and any necessary accommodations for participants, especially for those traveling from afar in case you are organizing a regional or an international event.
Think GREEN when organizing your events! Here’s a checklist for green events:
- Try to replace air travel with digital meetings. Encourage secure digital meetings as well as clustering of meetings.
- Plan efficiently so that the number of trips can be kept down.
- Plan trips together in the teams/departments at the beginning of the year as far as possible. Prioritize travel for tasks that cannot be done online.
- Travel in an environmentally friendly way.
- Choose hotels/conference facilities/restaurants with a sustainable profile.
- If it is safe and accessible on the location: walk, cycle or use public transport.
- When you need to go by car, try to share a ride – carpool. When traveling by taxi or renting a car: ask for an electric car or a ”green” car.
- If it is safe and there are good train communications, trains should be the first choice on routes up to 1000 km. If you want to travel by train also on longer distances, it is encouraged.
- When flying, choose a seat class with lower climate emissions. Choose airlines with lower climate emissions and fair working conditions.
- Encourage your team to try to book hotels/conference facilities/restaurants with eco-labels, where possible.
- Favor locally owned accommodation or facilities, where possible. If you have to choose, you can pick a locally owned hotel over one with an eco-label. Smaller facilities with a simpler standard can seldom afford an eco certification, but they usually have a lower environmental impact than the large hotel chains. Find accommodation/conference facilities/restaurants with a sustainable profile.
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Encourage participants to bring reusable water bottles and containers. Provide recycling bins for paper, plastic, and other recyclables, and clearly label them.
- Digital promotion and communication: Use digital platforms, social media, and email for invitations and event promotion to reduce paper waste. Create a dedicated event website or mobile app for information dissemination.
- Provide digital handouts and materials instead of printed copies. Use reusable whiteboards or electronic displays for presentations.
- Green Catering: Choose caterers that offer organic, locally sourced, and vegetarian or vegan menu options. Use biodegradable or compostable plates, cups, and utensils. Minimize food waste by accurately estimating quantities and donating surplus food to local charities.
- Energy Efficiency: If using indoor venues, ensure energy-efficient lighting and HVAC systems are in place. Make use of natural light and ventilation to reduce the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning.Waste Management: Set up recycling stations with clearly marked bins for different types of waste. Implement a “zero waste” policy by encouraging participants to take home any items they bring, such as craft materials or personal belongings.
- Post-Event Cleanup: Organize a cleanup crew to ensure the venue is left in the same or better condition than before the event. Properly dispose of or recycle any materials used during the event.
Once you cleaned up and sent participants back home, you are still not done with your Youth Community Hackathon! Stage III is a very important part of the whole story. By carefully planning the production, branding, showcasing, and networking aspects of your hackathon, you can greatly enhance the quality and impact of the creative outputs, providing a rewarding and enriching experience for all those who were involved in the event!
