Don’t Trash It

Green Up Your Outdoor Event

By Steven Zeisler

Outdoor events coordinators today are attempting to make minimal waste events so that we don’t add more trash to the ever expanding landfills. More landfills equals less land for us outdoorsy people. C’mon, you love the rivers, gorges, and mountains for us to play on, right? Then listen up.

You might think that planning a minimal waste event is hard. Not so, if the right planning and expertise is incorporated. Here are some ways to reduce your waste at your next outdoor event, whether you’re a coordinator, volunteer or participant.

Communicate that it’s a minimal waste event. “An event like this takes some time to prepare,” says Pittsburgh Venture Outdoors Assistant Program Director Rob Walters, “But a lot of folks are like-minded and responsive to the idea.” Send out mass e-mail messages to the participants of the event and tell them what they will encounter, Rob advises. Repeat these e-mails up until the event.

Reduce paper waste. Utilize e-mail and online registration to cut down the waste. “Our online registration was extremely successful,” says Maura Kistler, event organizer of the New River Rendezvous in Fayetteville, WV. “We got the word out in advance, and people knew what to expect. In the (online) pre-registration process, people had to click through a series of boxes acknowledging they needed to come prepared with their own utensils/dishware, they needed to take their trash home, etc.” (Note: the New River Rendezvous actually had a zero waste event this year!)

Print promotional materials on recycled paper with soy ink. And while you’re at it, print event t-shirts on organic fabric.

When you attend an event, bring your own water bottles. Not disposable plastic water bottles, but reusable water bottles (a.k.a. canteens). If you’re an organizer, provide some for those who may have forgotten as well.

Provide recycling containers for bottles, cans and cardboard around the event site. Paddlefest in Cincinnati, OH, procured the recycling containers from the local Solid Waste Management District, according to Doug Coates of the Ohio River Way.

Provide Reusable bags, cups and promotional signs. Paddlefest approached Kroger to donate the used bags and provided compostable cups made from corn.

Bike to the event. If you’re an organizer, provide VIP parking and services for those who roll up on bikes. Do the same for people driving hybrid/alternative energy vehicles. This parking space could be located closest to the event or come without a charge.

Get in contact with the local park service and work side by side on the event. Chances are they will be responsive to the idea while having the resources and contacts to make planning the minimal waste event easier.

With hard work comes great reward. Planning a minimal waste event or going for the gold and planning a zero waste event requires a clear vision of what must be accomplished. “We are totally psyched to have been able to plan a zero waste event,” says Maura of the New River Rendezvous. “It feels good knowing you reduce your carbon footprint while helping the planet. Our tagline was ‘step up or stay home,’ and that’s what people did. They stepped up and helped the environment.”