Cover Feature
One Earth
Show is the
event industry’s
first foray into
mainstream
sustainability
events
Words: Saul Leese
One Earth is a monumental
development and warrants the
front cover of EN because it is
the first time an organiser in
the UK has created a large-
scale B2C event to tackle
sustainability. The event
couldn’t come at a better time
as it meets the growing demand
and movement, mainly fuelled
by Millennials and Gen Z, to
save our planet.
One Earth is organised by
73 Media and headed up by
Ed Tranter. Tranter explains
that the idea for the show
came from his 11-year-old
daughter when he woke up to a
commotion in his kitchen. He
said: “Freya was so touched by
the orangutan adverts about
deforestation on TV, she woke
up early and started removing
all the products that she could
find that contained palm oil.
She piled them up by the bin
and it was her actions that
changed my family’s buying
habits.”
Tranter’s family is just one
of millions changing their
behaviour. As an industry we
have the power to influence
public opinion as well as
delivering buyers for our
customers.
Tranter adds: “We are living
in the midst of a sustainability
Zeitgeist and the conversation
has tipped from niche to
mainstream. Never has there
been a time when more people
are both aware of the climate
change crisis and desperate to
help.
“Sadly, it’s not quite that
simple. Lack of knowledge,
cost, inconvenience and the
perceived enormity of the
situation we are facing is
preventing us all from taking
action. One Earth’s goal is to
break down these barriers and
prove to visitors that if we all
make small everyday changes,
our incremental efforts can
make a huge difference.
“Sustainability, and our
impact as consumers, is at
the absolute forefront of
our collective psyche, it’s
in everything we read, it’s
on every screen, in every
conversation with our children
and runs across all social media
channels.”
First time for everyone
Tranter, has organised a
raft of B2B events including
Dental Showcase, Optrafair
and Engineering Design Show
but has little or no experience
producing a sustainability
show. But his enthusiasm, gut
instinct and vision more than
makes up for any shortfall.
He added: “We have spent
the last year talking to
consumers about their views on
sustainability, their sustainable
buying habits and what stands
in the way of them making
more sustainable choices.
95 per cent of people up and
down the UK want to be more
sustainable and just nine per
cent feel sufficiently equipped
on how to do it. As a result the
bulk of people want to meet
experts who can educate them
and show them how to be more
sustainable.”
Consumers and their buying
habits are changing. There’s
now a strong link between
the explosion in veganism,
vegetarianism, health and
sustainability. It appears that
what we eat, how we keep
fit and save the planet are
inexplicably linked.
Tranter adds: “My 13-year-old
son Toby, became a vegetarian
when he was 10 as he didn’t
want animals to die for him,
and he knew he didn’t need to
meat to survive. His passion
for the natural world and to
protect it was really inspiring.
His life plan and frankly my
plans are nearly as organised
as his are, is to work in order
to earn enough money to buy
a land in Scotland to protect it
and to keep it natural.”
One Earth is about learning
and changing, helping
12,000
A tap leaking at
the rate of one
drip a second
could waste
more than
12,000 litres
of water a year.
January — 17