Green Events

Click here to view our Green Event Guidelines as a PDF

Green Event Guidelines pg. 1 Food: Encourage attendees to bring their own reusable mugs and water bottles. Beverages can be served in coolers or pitchers instead of single-use plastic bottles. Prioritize vegan and vegetarian options or entire meals. This is more ecological friendly and sometimes cheaper. Purchase from local restaurants or catering services instead of national chains. Serve healthy snacks like apples, oranges, grapes, or a vegetable platter. Serve sauces, condiments, chips, seasoning, and other items in bulk instead of individual packages. Serve food buffet-style or in platters instead of individually boxed meals. Use recycled paper, compostable, or better yet, reusable dinnerware. ECU’s catering services provides chinaware plates, cups, and utensils upon request for an added fee. Develop a plan to donate leftover, unserved food to a local food bank or send it home with your attendees. Donate any leftover and unopened packages of food (snacks, chips, nonperishable items) to the Purple Pantry.

Green Events Guidelines pg. 2 Waste Reduction: Ensure recycling bins are provided in the event space. If bins are needed, please contact recycle@ecu.edu. Compost services are available to divert food waste (e.g., fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags, and napkins) from the landfill. Please contact sustain@ecu.edu for more information. Have recycle, trash, and compost (if provided) bins in the same area with clear instructions/signs for proper disposal. Utilize digital communications, such as email blasts, websites, and social media, to publicize your event. Use Qualtrics, Google Docs, and e-vites to manage registrations. If printing is necessary, print on 100% recycled paper. Instead of printing handouts for presentations, pass around a sign-in sheet and email them to attendees afterwards. Decorate with items that can be reused for other events OR taken home with guests as favors like small potted succulent plants, stacks of old books, etc. Hosting events outdoors can minimize energy consumption. The Brewster Courtyard or similar areas outside Main Campus Student Center and Health Sciences Campus Student Center are available to reserve on 25Live. Avoid printing dates on posters, banners, merch, etc. so that it can be reused annually. Hand out Magnetic Nametag Holders, collect them, and reuse them in other events: Staples Magnetic Badge Holders Use and re-use table tents for smaller events (tabling, workshops, etc.): Trainers Warehouse Dry-Erase Table Tents Sustainable giveaways: Eco Branders Promo Leaf Ethical Swag

Green Event Guidelines pg. 3 Transportation: Promote alternate transportation to events (biking, walking, carpooling, etc.). Inform attendees that bike racks are located across both Main and Health Sciences Campus and outside of most buildings. Utilize ECU’s charter bus service which can bus attendees from one area to another. ECU transit provides free, pre-scheduled rides for PGV Airport. Attendees can pay for shuttles to/from RDU, Wilson Amtrak, and Rocky Mount Amtrak. Both Main Campus and Health Sciences Campus Student Centers, Life Sciences and Biotechnology Building, Brody School of Medicine, Austin/Rivers/Speight Buildings, and the Belk Building have electric vehicle (EV) charging stations right outside so please provide this information to attendees. Try to highlight local speakers, reducing travel emissions and costs. Give attendees the option to purchase carbon credits during registration to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with their travel to and from your event: Carbon Direct One Tribe Terrapass

Green Event Guidelines pg. 4 Share your success: Inform all attendees about the sustainability goals of your event and ask for their participation. Example Goal: Over 40% of our guests use sustainable transportation to the event! Labeling, signage, and verbal announcements should be used at the event to highlight the sustainability features. Examples: This location was chosen for its accessibility by sustainable modes of transportation. Why no Styrofoam? Styrofoam is commonly provided for single-use containers, but once at the landfill, it never decomposes! Where are my composted leftovers going? ECU partners with Terra Bella Compost to manage food waste, right here in Greenville. Why a vegetarian option? Meatless meals are less energy intensive to produce! After the event, share the sustainability successes you had during your event with attendees via social media! Examples: Our event reduced paper waste through online registration and digital programs! Our event donated 50 pounds of leftover food to the local community! We offset the carbon emissions from our keynote speaker’s flight! We said NO to bottled water during our event! The bottom of the page has four QR codes for the following: ECU Sustainability's Facebook, ECU Sustainability's Instagram, ECU Sustainability's website, and ECU Sustainability's monthly newsletter signup