Sustainable living means not only living for yourself and the present moment, but also for the future and that of others. Conference organisers can also help to create a better world by promoting ‘sustainable conferencing’. Creative Netherlands is spawning plenty of sustainable ideas.

Bicycles for conference participants and visitors

In Maastricht, for instance, nine hundred bicycles have already been reserved for a conference next year in Maastricht. The green message communicated by this enormous fleet of bicycles is loud and clear: leave the car at home, the centre of Maastricht is easy to reach by bike. During the conference all the bicycles are made available to the participants and visitors, who can reach the city centre in five minutes flat.

Adding a sustainable touch

Conference organisers can add lots of other sustainable touches – such as using green power, saving energy and employing sustainable stand construction materials. The caterer can help make a conference more sustainable by using organic products. According to the World Food Organisation, organic agriculture emits less greenhouse gases. Fair Trade products also ensure that poor growers get an honest price for their produce. And finally, re-usable and environmentally-friendly packaging also helps to lower the waste mountain.

Click here to see how you can compensate the CO2 emission of your conference.