What can we change through our choices?

In one of our early blogs, Does your event footprint bother you? Do good, go local, go digital!, we provided pointers for managing your footprint when running events. Our suggestions included offsetting the carbon load of your event, recycling lanyards and pouches, printing less and sourcing local products. Small changes can have a big impact on what you give back to your environment, or at least minimize what you take from it.

When we came across the WellBeing Economy Festival this week, we decided to issue another challenge to respect and fortify both the people and the systems around us. The 'Wellbeing Economy Festival' has been taking place in Pretoria (South Africa) this week. An incredible line-up of innovators, entrepreneurs, technology experts and academics are discussing how to change policy, business and society. One of these incredible people, and Director of the Centre for the Study of Governance and Innovation, is Prof Lorenzo Fioramonti. He is a huge advocate of getting better at the choices we make. He wrote a book called the WellBeing Economy, which offers a manifesto for change. At its core, the WellBeing Economy is all about building a more sustainable, desirable, happy world. Lorenzo talks about the very simple things we can start to do as individuals, such as becoming more aware, connecting the dots, and getting practical.

So here we are getting practical, with two concrete suggestions for our industry.

1. Source from local suppliers like this:

Business success for me means running a profitable, scalable, socially and environmentally conscious business…at the same time!

Lise Kuhle, Eco Smart

Eco Smart is a business that manufactures commercially viable products such as recycling boxes, iPad covers, hotel slippers, conference and shopping bags, out of up-cycled waste materials. We ordered 1400 bags from Eco Smart for the 2017 Insurance Conference. They are beautifully made, affordably priced and were delivered in good time for the event.

I would like the people that I work with to be able to realise their full potential and on a very basic level be able to buy a decent house, in a decent neighbourhood, feel safe, be able to send their children to school, buy food, save for their retirement."

Lise is also gives talks on recycling to businesses and schools. Read the full interview with Lise here.

2. Source wine for functions that comes from a farm that walks the talk, like Fairview Wine Farm.

Fairview is driven by 3 key pillars: being honest, honouring their heritage, and ensuring that ingenuity perpetually flows from their soils and cellars. If this sounds like lip serice, take a look at the list of their various accolades and accreditations in the Philosophy of Fairview Wine Farm. They are Fairtrade, Carbon Neutral, Nature Conservation, WIETA, Biodiversity in Wine, and the list goes on.

Living in South Africa gives a bigger meaning to what we do – wine isn't just about the bottom line, there's a social dimension too

Charles Back

So, what decisions can you influence? What choices do you make? Send us your examples of better choices. We'd love to know about more local suppliers doing good.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

Margaret Mead

What can we change through our choices?

1. Source from local suppliers like this:

2. Source wine for functions that comes from a farm that walks the talk, like Fairview Wine Farm.

You have an event. We can pull strings for you.