10 Green Ideas From Fox's Fall Eco-Casino Party

From venue choice to strategic decor, the network continued to use sustainable strategies at its annual event in as many ways as possible.


"Not only is all of our decor rented, which is pretty simple for everyone to do, but a lot of the pieces this year were made from reclaimed wood," said Fox Creative Services' Karin Pofsky. "It's about extending the life of decor or elements to be turned into something different in our events."

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios


Where possible, the team used the Bungalow's existing furniture and added branded elements like throw pillows to highlight Fox's presence.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios


Eco-friendly signage listed the evening's signature sangria cocktail description.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



Organizers used rented hedging that would be maintained and available for use at additional events, movies, or anything requiring greenery.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



The venue's existing bars, as well as prizing and valet stations, used LED color blast lights, each 50 watts apiece.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



Pofsky opted for the Bungalow in Santa Monica because she liked the space's green capabilities. "Their restaurant and their chef are known for their locally grown sustainable menu, so it was an easy choice for us—that and the outdoor location and proximity to studio and the press," she said. "The Fairmont also does a good job as well with their ecosystems and processes with recycling and so forth. They have some eco-friendly wines and things like that, so they seem to be taking the extra step."

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



Locally grown, eco-friendly flowers in bamboo vases complemented the existing decor at the Bungalow. "No synthetic chemicals were used in the fertilizers, the organic waste is composted and decomposed," said Brian Worley, co-owner of YourBash. "Runoff is used to fertilize the plants and horse, cow, and goat waste are used to create natural fertilizer."

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



"The Bungalow is a highly stylized venue with the existing decor, so we transformed the parking lot into a casino and the goal was the make it look as if it was an extension of the club," Worley said.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



"We used hedges and reclaimed wood walls to create the walls and filled the walls with decorative pieces and art that is similar to that of the decor inside," said Worley of the outdoor parking lot space that was converted into a casino.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios



The Bungalow's parking lot was converted into a casino using rented Astroturf flooring from Classic Party Rentals, which plans to reuse the material for additional events.

Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios

Source: BizBash

byBest Events

in Event Decor, Green Events

10:02 AM

10 Green Ideas From Fox's Fall Eco-Casino Party

From venue choice to strategic decor, the network continued to use sustainable strategies at its annual event in as many ways as possible. ...

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Team building with an Environment Education Focus

With the younger generation growing up in more environmental conscious surroundings, there have been requests on how to educate adults. Best Events has a team building activity to do just that though it can also be catered to kids as well.

For more team building options: Please CLICK HERE

byBest Events

in Green Events, Team Building

11:50 AM

Team building with an Environment Education Focus

With the younger generation growing up in more environmental conscious surroundings, there have been requests on how to educate adults. Best...

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Bettering People and Planet: It's in the (Conference) Bag

Is your conference bag a repository for notebooks and sponsor flyers? Or it is a planet-saving, social good-providing super hero?

Up-cycled conference bags have become an increasing trend in the meetings industry. Keep your event banners, hand them over to a social enterprise to repurpose into a bag, and then give or resell them as branded items to customers or attendees. I recently came across Common Thread, one group that is harnessing the desire of event planners to do good, reduce waste and provide conference bags that are more than just a container for exhibitor materials. Melanie Conn took some time to share the story of their program, the difference it makes and some tips for event professionals looking to up-cycle banners to bags.

byBest Events

in Green Events, Trade Show Tips

11:33 AM

Bettering People and Planet: It's in the (Conference) Bag

Is your conference bag a repository for notebooks and sponsor flyers? Or it is a planet-saving, social good-providing super he...

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17 Things to know BEFORE Planning a Sustainable Event

1. Don’t Waste your Time on Insignificant Issues or Over-sell Minor Steps
Paperless events are happening naturally as technology use at events expands. In the meantime food waste, emissions and unfair labor concerns mount. We need to turn our eyes to these and other major challenges that present our biggest opportunities and risks.

2. Event sustainability is a management skill. Not just a marketing skill
Engaging stakeholders, reducing inefficiency, enhancing experiences, improving satisfaction and reducing risk: these are strategic benefits event sustainability strategies can bring to your event in addition to providing public relations opportunities.

byBest Events

in Green Events, Trade Show Tips

11:27 AM

17 Things to know BEFORE Planning a Sustainable Event

1. Don’t Waste your Time on Insignificant Issues or Over-sell Minor Steps Paperless events are happening naturally as technology use at e...

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11 Ways to Make Trade Show Exhibits Sustainable

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Freeman collected 22 trailer loads of exhibit materials from companies such as Samsung, Audi, and Kia and donated them to local charities. "Just by asking, they were very excited to say, 'Yes we want an alternative. We don’t want to throw it away, but we don’t want to ship it back to our international destinations,'" Chase said.

Photo: Courtesy of CES

SAN FRANCISCO  Going green doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. In fact, it can even help save money. That was the message for attendees at the Green Meeting Industry Council’s Sustainable Meetings Conference April 15 to 17 in San Francisco. Jeff Chase, director of sustainability for Freeman, and Tom Bowman, an author and consultant who is leading a sustainability initiative for the Exhibit Designers and Producers Association, shared tips on how to be a more earth-friendly exhibitor.

byBest Events

in Green Events, Trade Show Tips

10:54 AM

11 Ways to Make Trade Show Exhibits Sustainable

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Freeman collected 22 trailer loads of exhibit materials from companies such as Samsung, Audi,...

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10 Tips to Minimize Food Waste at Events

Consider these ideas to make your food and beverage service more sustainable—and save money.

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more food reaches landfills than any other type of municipal solid waste. The Food Waste Reduction Alliance estimates that as much as 40 percent of the food that is grown, processed, and transported in the United States will never be consumed, yet an estimated 50 million Americans do not have access to enough food. There are also environmental impacts to food waste: decomposing food in landfills releases methane, a greenhouse gas. And, according to the alliance, uneaten food in this country uses 26 percent of our freshwater resources and accounts for 4 percent of total oil consumption.

byBest Events

in Green Events, Party Food

10:49 AM

10 Tips to Minimize Food Waste at Events

Consider these ideas to make your food and beverage service more sustainable—and save money. According to the U.S. Environmental Protectio...

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Planning a Green Wedding

What is a "green" wedding? Well, some take the word "Green" literally and have their decorators use as many green elements as possible. But for the environmentalists, it's about saving as much energy and resources as possible.

How do you this?

■Minimize the amount of driving your guests will need to do.
Cpt for a venue which has access to public transport if need be or at least central enough for them to drive to.

It would be wise to consider these factors below, which are not only green choices, but economical and logical choices too!

•Could you have your special event at a place that would minimise travel impacts, and one that would keep the ceremony and reception close to each other?
•What about providing eco-friendly transportation between them? Or encouraging your guests to carpool, which would send a message as well as allow them to mingle with each other in fun fashion!
•Or you could pick a unique or local spot that you support or is special to you? That way this could also benefit your community or favourite places.


■Donate leftover food rather than throwing it out.
Some hotels have a regulation about not permitting leftovers to be consumed but you can request for a form to free them from any consequences eg side effects

■Don't register for things you don't need: give your guests the option of giving donations in your name instead.

INVITATION CARDS
Your wedding announcement or invitation can set the tone for your environmentally friendly wedding. There are many options today for 100% recycled, partially recycled or completely tree free papers from wedding invitation suppliers. If you are interested in making your own invitations, the choices are unlimitied. Consider all these places for paper on your wedding day:

•engagement announcements
•save the date cards
•shower invitations
•shower thank you notes
•wedding invitaitons
•ceremony programs
•place cards
•menu cards
•wedding announcements
•thank you notes

Many brides today are communicating electronically to cut down on paper and waste. You may be interested in creating your own unique personal wedding website at Wedding Window. No need to know HTML!! There are lots of styles to choose from and it is fully cusomizable and reasonably priced. There is a seven day trial, so you can check it out and see if it if for you. It is a great idea to have one place to put all your information. And at the end of your wedding, they have an option to get an archived copy of the site on CD.

Things to be considered would be:

•Recycled, handmade, or plantable papers processed chlorine-free and printed with vegetable- or soy-based inks tree-free paper made out of hemp, banana stalks, bamboo, kenaf, or organic cotton.

•What about postcards, which would take away the need for envelopes? Online invitations or blogs are also popular, and minimise the trouble of sending all those cards out! (We know some invitations don’t reach the intended guests these days anyway, with the days of e-mail and SMS!)

•But however you choose to do your invitation, the important thing is to communicate your green intentions to your guests. This does not have to big, preachy & showy message, of course, little friendly & subtle notes here & there that are not too intrusive would be perfect to spread a little green education!

•But before you do all that, remember to watch the numbers for your wedding! The single biggest factor in the environmental impact of your wedding will be its size, so have the strength to draw the line at the guest list you’ll have to agonise over!


FLOWERS
Your wedding flowers can be a place where you can make conscientious decisions which can have big eco consequences. Many flowers sold are imported from developing countries where pesticide use is very high and labor conditions and wages are low.

Choosing a florist where organically grown, in-season, local flowers are used can be a much better earth friendly choice. This will remove the need for long-distance transportation.

Other options:

Buy fresh at your local farmer's market.

Grow your own or force bulbs.

Use dried or silk flowers as an eco friendly alternative.

Reuse your flowers that day by transforming ceremony flowers into table decorations at the reception-similarly, ceremony decorations can be used to dress up the dance floor. After the party, donate them to a local hospital or senior citizen center or send them home with your guests.

TABLE CENTREPIECES
A great addition to the eco-friendly favors on the tables is to pull the "green" theme into your centerpieces. Table decor can take the form of pots of plants that can be later planted by your guests. If you are looking for a vessel for the center of your table to hold sea shells or colorful rocks, consider vases made from recycled glass or a bamboo bowl, due to renewable tendencies.

WEDDING FAVORS
Creating a wedding that isn't wasteful or polluting is appealing to more couples nowadays. A number of earth-friendly products and services is growing, giving the bride and groom a range of options. It is often as simple as buying local. For instance, supporting a local artisan is much more earth friendly than having cheap trinkets shipped half way around the world.

One of the more obvious eco-friendly wedding favor ideas for couples is to give something organic. There are many options if you want to give small trees, seeds, bulbs or plants.

Some local Malaysian companies offer milk and dark chocolate bars which make an elegant earth friendly wedding favor. Each bar wrapping can be customized.

The symbolism and beauty of gifting a tree is certain to thrill your guests. The KL Convention Centre has a programme that makes it easy for eco-friendly brides (or corporate clients even) to plant trees in their name.

Some local companies offer trees that can be delivered in an easy recyclable plastic tube with your choice of customized label. Your recipients can plant their trees right away, store them in a refrigerator, or grow them indoors for months.

The Green World Project provides live evergreen tree seedling favors. Their motto: By giving trees or seeds to your guests, everlasting memories will take root and grow along with your marriage. The tree can be presented in a stylish tube with directions on how to reuse the tube as a birdfeeder. Very clever!

There are also programmes that allow you to make donations to your favorite charity in honor of your guests.

When thinking of wedding favors, try to think like a guest. Would you want to receive this gift? Can I use it again and again or will it remain in the cupboard with all my other wedding favors?

For my own wedding, our favors were customized chocolates with a "Love is..." comic print on it .
MOST OF ALL

•Have fun planning your gorgeous green wedding
•Remember, little quaint messages of eco awareness can work wonders – you don’t have to nag and turn off your guests.
•You don’t have to green everything, do what you can and take heart that all little things do end up making a difference.
•Enjoy and savour your day. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will be extra special for the efforts that you have made!


Other resources which could be helpful :

Portovert magazine – an online resource dedicated to green weddings.

Ethical Weddings – a one-stop searchable database of all things local, fair-trade, organic, recycled, and wedding related.

Great Green Weddings – offering helpful advice for the eco-couple, including a couple of books on the subject.

HowStuffWorks has a bevy of helpful tips, including how to plan a wedding and making Wedding Bells

And if you’re looking for books on green weddings, there are Eco-Chic Weddings by Emily Elizabeth Anderson, Green Weddings by Carol Reed-Jones, and Organic Weddings, by Michelle Kozin

byBest Events

in Green Events, Weddings

8:31 PM

Planning a Green Wedding

What is a "green" wedding? Well, some take the word "Green" literally and have their decorators use as many green ele...

Read More