by Bright Ewuru | Feb 28, 2023 | Articles
An awards program is a splendid way to recognise people or organisations that have made remarkable contributions to your brand, industry or community. Running an awards program involves many activities—from planning and managing to marketing, judging and the awards ceremony.
With so many moving pieces, it’s easy to forget about sustainability, and how you can create your awards program with the environment in mind.
Here are five tips to make your awards program sustainable.
A highly efficient way to have an environmentally friendly award program is to take it online. Besides being a more convenient way to reward the winners, a virtual awards ceremony eliminates the need for unsustainable practices.
A simple conference call or a more dynamic online event can be quite fun and ensures a green award program. Also, you can leverage award management software; such a platform allows the collection of nominations, viewing of award entries and submitting feedback with the simple push of a button. (Check out our ebook on running a virtual awards program.)
If hosting an in-person award ceremony appeals more to you, a green event is the way to go. As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most important decisions you can make to ensure eco-friendliness in your awards event.
Some environmentally responsible practices to look out for when deciding on a venue include:
At any venue, think about the components you can control: event apps rather than paper, online information rather than print-outs, and the amount of venue space you actually need. Here are other considerations.
Consider using energy-saving alternatives such as LED lighting. Patronise local vendors and suppliers; this will eliminate the need to ship the materials from far-off places and reduce your expenses.
Carbon offsetting means compensating for your emissions by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. It involves calculating your carbon footprint and embarking on a project that either reduces emissions or takes CO2 out of the atmosphere. Examples include reforestation, building renewable energy as well as waste and landfill management.
It’s also important to note some cons of carbon offsets. They’re not a comprehensive solution for reducing corporate greenhouse gas emissions.
Consider a nearby venue and set up group transportation for the participants. It reduces the need for commuting by different cars. Ensure recycling and proper waste management by making plans for every category of waste. Label and position the bins appropriately for this purpose.
Brighten up the environment with live plants and recycled paper decorations. These steps will reduce the carbon footprint generated by the program, especially if they can be used again in the future.
Research estimates that a whopping 200 million trees are cut down daily to make paper! This deforestation process for paper production alone accounts for 28 million metric tons of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere annually. To put it in context, that’s 20% of global carbon dioxide emissions.
To make matters worse, paper accounts for 26% of landfill waste, 33% of municipal solid waste and 50% of business waste.
This is bad news for our beloved planet.
Throughout the lifecycle of your awards program, paper could serve purposes such as documentation, marketing, communication and many more. Fortunately, a paperless office strategy is a fantastic way to support a healthier planet, save trees, reduce waste and even save money!
To effectively reduce your use of paper when running your awards program, pivot to online communications to share and market your program’s details. Leverage awards software to deal with nominations, submissions, communication and the judging process.
Awards programs often team up with other entities such as event planners and sponsors. To make your sustainability ambitions a reality, look for sustainable business partners. Working with brands that share your vision of going green makes the work easier and helps you hit the ground running.
Keep an eye out for vendors with sustainability certifications. Take it further by inquiring about their practices; this will help substantiate your expectations. The same goes for your sponsors – find those who align with your sustainability mission.
As a brand, Award Force believes in serving and giving back to society – companies can start small and scale their charitable activities as they grow. Partnering with brands that give back to the environment is a good way to encourage others to get on board.
To truly demonstrate your commitment to a more sustainable planet, provide winners and other participants prizes, gifts and tokens that give back to the environment. Popularly termed green reward merchandise, these items have no adverse impact on the plane and encourage sustainable practices.
Examples could include:
It’s easier than you think to “green” up your awards program. From holding a virtual ceremony (or opting for an eco-friendly venue) to reducing paper usage, partnering with sustainable business partners and giving sustainable gift items, you can ensure that your awards program positively impacts the environment.
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