In my recent Earth Day post I reminded you about how horrible plastic is for ocean life. Lately, I’ve been ruminating on how branded promotional products aka “swag” must be impacting our environment. I mean, how many times have you returned from a conference or other big event with free swag that consisted of a lot of superfluous plastic and other non-biodegradable materials that will just sit around on your desk or in a drawer and will eventually end up in the trash? How many disposable pens, highlighters, lanyards, frisbees, stress balls, key chains, letter openers, cups, bottle openers, business card holders, cell phone “loungers,” and so on are contributing to the millions of tons of plastic that is dumped into our oceans every year?

It has become my habit to refuse 99% of these kinds of promotional materials when they are offered to me, and I would like us all to take a mindful look at these exciting, colorful, FREE trinkets… and really think about where these items will be in the next 5, 10, 20, 400 years. Do I really need another disposable pen with a logo on it? Do I really need a cell phone lounger, for goodness sake? I didn’t even know that was a THING until recently. I know I don’t need yet another tote bag, for sure. And while t-shirts are often cool to have, I’ve also learned that they have a bigger environmental impact than one might think.

Anyway, not to get preachy on you, dear reader, but these are the things that really trouble me, so I can’t help but share my concerns.

When something like this gets stuck in my craw, I tend to tune in to the Google to find out what other people are thinking about it. On this particular internet voyage, one of the first articles I read literally made me squee!  It talks about digital swag bags!!! Now, I know that tech is also creating an unfortunate impact on the environment and contributing to that aforementioned pesky plastic problem. Cell phones, tablets, laptops are all a big contributor to the death of our planet and are definitely not above critique, but that is a topic I will address in another post.

So, virtual event bags are totally a thing. They are customizable and help to cut down on the waste produced by pamphlets, brochures, schedules, maps, key chains, water bottles, and disposable pens.

If you’re like me you love your smartphone (even though I am eager for the manufacturers to find ways to limit their contribution to the destruction of our planet)and spend most of your time (9 times an hour!!!) looking at it.

Mesmerized.

One of the things I loved about the Nonprofit Technology Conference, about which I’ve written several posts, was the conference app. The app was awesome – it helped me keep track of the workshops I wanted to attend, speakers I wanted to see, what demos were happening, when meals were being served, and the contact information for people I met. No paper involved. Having a digital swag bag included with all of that important information would have been the best thing ever. Not to say that the event planners of  #18NTC were not environmentally conscious – they totally were! But there is always room for improvement.

As I tumbled down the Google rabbit hole, I landed on an article on the Forbes website about “five lanyard, koozie, and USB stick-free ideas to shake up your next conference or trade show and actually deliver results.” I am especially fond of the recommendations about investing money into sponsoring a breakfast or happy hour, or even something practical like airport shuttles instead of spending that money on key chains or notepads. I am also fond of the bit about supporting local businesses.

To my great pleasure, a LOT has been written on greening our conferences and big events. Here are some links I’d like to share with my event planner Unicorns:

Some considerations for meeting planners and event planners when selecting a green meeting venue.

With smart planning and sourcing, limiting your event’s impact is easier than you think.

It is time now to figure out a way to have carbon neutral conferences.

Greening Your Meetings and Conferences

7 Tips On How To Make Your Next Event Zero-Waste

This article is another to suggest replacing all paper communications with a mobile event application.

As an attendee, there are also things I can do on a personal level to limit my ecological footprint. I bring my own bag, water bottle, and pens. I don’t accept swag no matter how cute, colorful, or interesting it is, unless it is something sustainable that I can use for a long time (like the sweet whisk from Report Kitchen that I actually needed AND it matches my kitchen decor) or it has a unicorn on it. Or it is a unicorn.

Also, I bring my own reusable straws instead of using disposable plastic straws. If you do just one thing to help reduce plastic waste, get in the habit of saying these three little words before you even order a beverage: No straw, please.

Plastic straws are the WORST! The next time you think of using a plastic straw, just think of his poor fellow: https://youtu.be/4wH878t78bw