Visit Baltimore Meeting & Event Planning Guide Winter/Spring 2020 - Sustainability Issue | Page 45

TAKE AC TION Johns Hopkins Sustainability Director Julian Goresko shared his top tips for improving sustainability while planning your event: THINK carefully about the impact of travel and consider alternative options. Greenhouse gas emissions from travel, especially by air, are an enormous part of our global carbon footprint. Consider whether some people may be able to access portions of the event through tele-conferencing or explore purchasing carbon off sets to mitigate the emissions from attendees’ travel. “Even though it’s a little bit abstract, it can mean a lot to participants that they don’t have to worry about the impact of their travel and know it’s being taken care of as part of the mission of the event,” says Goresko. TALK to your caterers to make sure you are off ering adequate plant-based meals. WASTE is one of the biggest environmental impacts of events. Work together with the venue to see if water fi lling stations are available; work with caterers to source compostable materials and limit single-use plastics. WORK closely and collaboratively with the vendors who are providing your goods and services; clear and close communication can help reveal new ways to employ sustainable practices. Julian Goresko leads Johns Hopkins University’s Office of Sustainability to keep the instution on track to reach its goal of reducing carbon emissions by 51%. B A LT I M O R E . O R G 43