Green Events Checklist
This checklist will help you to make your events more sustainable and help you consider the environmental and social impacts of various aspects of event programming on campus. This checklist will help event organizers to explore and practice Dickinson values including sustainability, leadership, ethical reasoning, and inclusivity. A downloadable checklist version is available here.
- Serve local food that supports small businesses
- Limit meat options and provide vegetarian and vegan options for all events
- Serve food that doesn’t require utensils
- Request recycling bins and ask attendees to separate waste into landfill, compost and recycling
- Minimize individually packaged items (beverages, utensils, snacks, condiments, etc.)
- Inform attendees on how to minimize their consumption and waste
- Prioritize reusable items (name tags, utensils, pens, straws, cups etc.)
- Reconsider giveaways or consider useful & long-lasting items
- Promote sustainable forms of transportation to events (walk, bike and ride share)
- Require RSVPs ahead of time to prevent excess food, supplies & waste
- Maximize natural light and reduce energy use—outdoor events are great
- Work to create inclusive and welcoming spaces that model ethical reasoning
- Advertise electronically (EngageD, Corq, Dickinson Today, social media)
- Reach out to partners and invite others to attend to diversify spaces
- Minimize the printing of paper (use double-sided)
- Reuse paper and cardboard when making posters
- Minimize use of single-use decorations (balloons, vinyl tablecloths, floral centerpieces)
- Collaborate with partners who also prioritize inclusion & sustainability
- Support the use of fair-trade, organic and certified items when possible
- Borrow before buying: does a group or office have event equipment before purchasing
- Have your student group complete the Green Organization Checklist each year and incorporate results into your group’s goals
- Plan events in advance to leave yourself enough time to practice sustainability and promote to diverse audiences
Ethical Reasoning:
The word “ethics” might immediately conjure something like following rules or obeying laws. We might imagine a set of principles designed to guide professionals, such as business ethics or medical ethics. But, when we hear the word “ethics,” we rarely begin with ourselves. We often think of ethics as being told what to do rather than deciding what to do. We rely on tradition or group-think to guide our actions without reflecting on why we value what we value.
At Dickinson, though, we are focused on developing the skill of ethical reasoning, which includes asking questions like these:
- What is right and wrong?
- Where does morality come from?
- Is morality relative, based on individual and cultural preferences? Or do we have moral obligations to ourselves and others?
- Why should I do the right thing?
When we encourage ethical reasoning, we don’t tell students what to do. We teach students how to think critically and engage respectfully when disagreeing with others. Like learning to play baseball or learning to write code, students must learn and practice ethical reasoning to develop this skill.
Inclusivity:
Inclusivity means full engagement, in principle and practice, for all members of the community, each of whom brings a unique voice and worldview to Dickinson. Our definition of inclusion requires that we challenge traditional and emergent dynamics that shape and limit experiences on campus, in the United States, and in the world.
Inclusion necessitates going beyond metrics of representational diversity to create an environment where everyone is self-aware, empowered to ask questions, contribute ideas, challenge Institutional assumptions and paradigms, and revise viewpoints. Creating an inclusive environment requires that we strategically create initiatives and policies that foster diversity and address inequities across all aspects of college life.
Leadership:
Leadership is an intentional process that involves collaborative relationships which generate collective action grounded in the shared values of people who work together for the betterment of self, others, the community, and society.
Sustainability:
Like most definitions, ours is born of a concern for the future of the planet, its people, and its living systems, which are threatened by a growing human footprint that is consuming and degrading environmental resources at a rapid pace. It recognizes essential needs of vast numbers of people are not being met in the present, and that poverty and inequality are amplifiers of vulnerability to environmental and other hazards. It is motivated by values that seek balance among economic development, eradication of poverty and hunger, advancement of social justice, and protection of the natural world.