According to Jones (2014:170), the greenhouse effect regards “gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, ozone and water vapour” that act as insulators, and trap the heat in the atmosphere to keep the temperature of the planet. Moreover, the high levels that greenhouse gases are reaching reflect the consequence of “the famous effects of global warming and climate change” (Jones 2014:171).

Therefore, in the events industry this greenhouse gases appear in a number of sources, such as: “electricity from the grid, burning up fuel in our portable generators, gas in our kitchens, fuel in vehicles, and the big one – air travel” (Jones 2014:170). Furthermore, for the simple reason that the access to resources and circumstances of each event is different, it is difficult to advise event organiser on the best way of measuring the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, event organisers may consider using one of the measures provided in this blog, such as ecological footprint (https://sustainableeventguide.home.blog/2019/03/12/ecological-footprint/).

Nevertheless, here are some tips to reduce the GHG emissions of an event:

• Reduce transport and energy demand;
• Reduce overall consumption of items with high carbon footprint;
• Replace fossil fuels with renewable sources of energy;
• Reduce the waste created throughout the event, and keep out of the landfill the biodegradables;
• And reduce the usage of water.

 

Reference:

Jones, M. (2014) Sustainable Event Management, 2nd edn. New York: Routledge.