Earth Day 2020: RGI STAYS GREEN
April 22nd, 2020 marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day! In an industry not often associated with sustainability, RGI has always placed priority on producing in an environmentally conscious way – and striving to lead the way towards low-impact event production. This great admiration for the world’s natural beauty and the responsibility we feel as a company to acting in a way respectful of that beauty is demonstrated in our design – our production and our management work for our clients – not to mention the innovation we bring to projects during these particular uncertain times.
We find such pronounced design inspiration from the natural world. We love to design seasonally and look through a lense of geography, climate or typography to inform themes for artistic expression in our event design. – A theme we readily employ in design is the simplicity and beauty of greenery as a focal point in décor installations. The power of the color green and impact of large swaths of greenery - representing renewal, life, and harmony, make it’s beauty all the more profound. We not only want to use green as and feeling, but as a point that we make as a team to be forward thinking with our clients and projects towards a greener future overall.
The Climate Reality Project is a non-profit founded by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore after his Academy Award winning film An Inconvenient Truth was released. CPR is a leader in grassroots advocacy and has trained thousands of people around the world to take action on climate change. We are honored to count The Climate Reality Project as a client, supporting them on these advocate training conferences nationwide. We love them because they don’t just preach – they teach and they practice. And we’ve learned so much more applicable actionable steps for a sustainable production through working with them which we now newly employ or use new guidance to expand upon efforts we had currently deployed. By following the ISO 20121 Sustainable Event Management Standard and the APEX/ASTM Sustainable Event Standard – which both elevate the industry standard to a whole new level – they’ve shown that your party doesn’t have to be a pooper for the planet.
Look for venues with LEED certifications, whenever possible
Seeking out local printers that are green certified, when using print materials
Using cleaning products that have earned planet-friendly certifications like Green Seal
Donating leftover supplies to local organizations so all items get used
Serving food on reusable Tupperware, using bulk condiments, and only serving vegan and vegetarian options
Another organization we are proud to work with on their mission for a greener future is the National Park Service (NPS). In January 2020, RGI won the 10 year National Park Service contract to support general event services and food and beverage services for events held in the National Parks Services National Capital Area parks - including some of the country’s most widely know, loved and attended events – The Annual Cherry Blossom Festival, National 4th of July Celebrations, Inaugural Events and more. A large part of the reason we at RGI were chosen, was our dedication to resource conservation in the parks and our innovation in efforts to be deployed over that time to keep these areas pristine and the events we produce low-impact and no-trace.
Some of our initiatives include:
Establishing composting practices on-site through facilities at festivals and events, to productively recycle event-generated waste
Ban on plastic straws
Ban on styrofoam
Ban on single use plastics
Commitment to using only recyclable and recycled packaging
Digital event components to reduce overall waste
Finally, a virtual event is the pinnacle of a no-waste event and unsurprisingly, we have seen a recent boom in these remote connections. As virtual becomes more viable, RGI has been a lead innovator for our clients to establish that event goals can still be met, agendas can still be advanced and an event behind a screen can still feel special, impactful and bespoke. From a gala gone hybrid, to a webinar course inspiring the next generation, to online auctions and fundraisers, if it was possible in-person, it is possible on screen. Most importantly, your virtual event can and should be crafted to reflect your unique vision through emerging tech that is more affordable than most organizations think. The future is now – and even though we predict that we will once again celebrate and collaborate in person, the shift towards virtual events will have a lasting change on the industry. – which can have long-term impact for the better on our environment.
We hope you are honoring Earth Day in many creative, and of course always, sustainable, ways. Here’s to it’s next 50 years and beyond!
