This month I led a sustainable events meetup on the topic of “Finding Joy in the Work of Sustainable Events.” As event professionals, we’re no strangers to stress and high-pressure situations. For those of us working to make events more sustainable, we experience the additional pressure of living up to our own environmental values. With so much work to be done, how do we keep pursuing sustainability in a way that doesn’t exhaust our own personal resources?
Hosted by MUSE (Members United for Sustainable Events) and the Sustainable Event Alliance (SEA), the meetup gathered 25+ sustainable event professionals for a candid conversation that yielded great tips and insights. Here’s a summary of the top takeaways:
Common challenges faced by sustainable event professionals
Being a team of one
Several of the attendees shared their struggles of being the only person championing sustainability on their team or at their organization. People who work as a team of one often don’t have the resources or support they need to make their desired initiatives happen.
Low or shifting priorities
Attendees expressed their frustration at sustainability often being placed as a low-priority item in the grand scheme of an event. Similarly frustrating was when stakeholders have excitement and big plans for sustainability at the outset, but these plans get downgraded or de-prioritized over time as other concerns arise.
Lack of control
Another common struggle faced by sustainable event professionals is not having the opportunity to influence key decisions that directly affect sustainability performance, such as site and vendor selections. This challenge often results from sustainability professionals being brought into the event planning process on the later end, after many decisions have already been made.
Lack of control also manifests when sustainable event professionals need to trust vendors and partners to execute aspects of the sustainability plan. Delegation is part of almost every sustainability plan, but it can be stressful to trust partners to execute key elements, especially if the vendor is inexperienced with the desired behavior.
Ways to find or create joy in the work of sustainable events
Participants in the meetup had tons of great suggestions for ways to overcome or reframe challenges, such as:
Find the fun in creative problem solving. When you encounter a challenge, reframe it as an opportunity to be creative in finding a solution.
Improve alignment and buy-in among stakeholders by painting a clear picture of how sustainability ties into the overall mission of the event. A team that sees the sustainability program as an expression of shared values is more likely to follow through successfully than a team that is just told they “should” care about sustainability. Better alignment leads to less stress.
Connect with key operations staff pre-event to avoid surprises on-site. Often there is a disconnect between what sales or client services staff may promise and what information trickles down to operational staff. Sales and client services folks may also not have a clear understanding of how operational processes work. Going over your plans and needs with operational staff in advance helps minimize day-of stress.
Look for opportunities to leave a legacy impact. If you’re frustrated by limited opportunities for immediate sustainable actions, look to the future. Many sustainable ways of operating can have long-term ROI for vendors or venues. Can you demonstrate this value and help one or more partners make a permanent change?
Set healthy boundaries around availability. Don’t set the expectation that you will be available anytime day or night to work on planning or answer questions. Protect your personal time.
Use your contract to enforce boundaries around the scope of work. If scope creep arises, address it with your client rather than silently absorbing extra demands. For on-site work, use your contract to require safe working conditions and any infrastructure or accommodations you need to do your work effectively.
Create your own peace before going on-site. Protect the time you need to get a good night’s sleep. Practice an activity that puts you into a calm and centered state of mind, such as yoga, meditation, or journaling.
Make on-site work fun for yourself and your team. Waste diversion programs especially can be grueling. Make it more enjoyable by providing snacks and drinks for workers, allowing regular opportunities for breaks, playing music, and creating a comfortable work environment with sufficient lighting. Set up tables for sorting, and plan the sorting process in a way that avoids excessive bending and twisting that can lead to pain and fatigue.
Practice grace in your attitude toward partners, stakeholders, and attendees. Remember the larger purpose of the event that attendees are focused on (whether that’s learning, networking, or having fun), and remember the primary objectives that other stakeholders are tasked with achieving. Even if issues with our program arise, we are still part of the bigger picture of a successful event.
Celebrate your wins. Perfectionism can keep us from appreciating any accomplishment that doesn’t clear the highest bar. Even if you haven’t been able to achieve everything you hoped, take a step back and acknowledge what you have been able to accomplish. Consider your actions with a broader lens than just environmental sustainability — have you been able to make positive impacts on communities, diversity and inclusion initiatives, or accessibility? Did you create a foundation for future improvement? Celebrate that too!
Accept your scope of control. Sometimes our partners let us down or make mistakes in their execution of the sustainability plan. Acknowledge that there’s only so much hand-holding that’s reasonable to do, and it’s ultimately up to our partners to follow through on their commitments. When you’ve communicated your needs sufficiently, the failure of another party to meet your needs is not your fault.
Spend time in like-minded community. I know I felt personally energized after spending an hour with fellow sustainable event professionals. Advocating for sustainability can feel like a constant uphill battle, so it’s restorative and validating just to spend some time with people who “get it.” Consider finding community in an organization like MUSE or SEA, or follow MUSE and SEA on LinkedIn to stay in the loop on future meetups.
What are some of your strategies for preventing burnout, dealing with frustrations, or finding joy? Share in the comments to add to our list!