Want to know a little more about me?

Recently I was approached by the editorial director for "The Meeting Planner's Best Resource" a weblog and e-newsletter for the meetings and events industry about being their October Planner.

I responded with something like "I am tickled pink that you would consider me for a profile" (because I was tickled pink) and that started the ball rolling.

I took the weekend to respond to the questions.....it was harder than I thought it would be, but in the end I think it turned out pretty darn well.

So...if you want to know a little more about me, check it out here!

Judy

Do green events lack creativity?

I don't know what it is, but for the first time in my green meeting planning career, I have been asked the question "don't green events lack creativity? I don't want to have a boring event" not once, but twice recently. Once we begin planning the event, their fears are soon dispensed. It is clear that their green event will not be boring.

So I have to ask the question.......

Are we emerging from the recession driven period of individuals shying away from over indulgence who came over to the "green side" in an effort to not appear over indulgent? Are clients once again jumping on the "the more the better" band wagon?

I never questioned the motives of clients who wanted to green their events. For me..it didn't really matter what was driving them to greener pastures because once they went on that journey with me, I knew I could convince them that it truly was the better way of doing business. When the recession occurred, clients felt that going green = being able to still hold meetings/events because they were being "good". Now that the economy is picking up, I am finding that new clients are questioning the amount of "greening". They don't want to appear cheap.

Green events/meetings do not have to appear cheap. In my experience green events and meetings can be some of the most creative events out there! Why? Because we are always looking for ways to innovate. We are the early adopters.

Is there anyone else out there sensing a shift?

J

Just give me something to talk about

Wow! I recently attended the MPI Greater Edmonton Chapter Event Management Awards and was fortunate enough to share a table with three gentlemen from the Edmonton area. Each were specialists in a different field. One in insurance, one in marketing and strategic management and the other in sales motivation and training. Wow! What delightful dinner companions. Each brought a unique perspective within their chosen field.

As they asked, "what do you do?", I became very animated and excited as I described Green Event Planning. It was clear that I loved what I do. They were interested in the aspects of green events and impressed at the numbers which I was able to share, i.e. amount of waste generated, etc.

I returned home with a renewed sense of spirit and, quite possibly, a bounce in my step. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, that positive energy could be responsible for the call which I received yesterday wanting to hire me for a green event next month.

To David, Michael and Frank....thank you for sharing your table with us and thank you for reminding me why I do what I do!

Judy

Celebrate Mother's Day and Mother Earth!

Are you wondering how to celebrate Mother’s Day and leave a lighter footprint? Look no further, because we have come up with some great ways to honor the women in your life in ways that you can feel good about!

Who is your mom? Your Mother’s Day plans can take on a new life if you focus on your mom’s unique personality. Does she love the outdoors? Does she love to cook? Is she artistic?

The outdoorsy mom – The outdoorsy mom’s are always itching to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. What about organizing a day by the lake or the river? Pack a picnic and don’t forget your collapsible chairs. Spend the afternoon scouring the beach for colorful rocks and branches and let mom enjoy the peace and solitude. Make sure you “pack out” what you “pack in”!

The art critic – These moms’s love to do anything creative. Scapbooking is a great way to spend an afternoon and it gets even better with friends’ and a glass of B.C. wine! Invite some mom’s and daughters over to create some scrapbooking pages. Create a keepsake you can treasure forever.

The foodie – We have often heard that the way to someone’s heart is through his or her stomach. The “foodie” mom knows this is a fact and loves to share her culinary prowess. She is usually a Food Network junkie and often tries out “new recipes” on family and friends. What about organizing a cooking lesson with a local chef specializing in a cuisine that mom is interested in? Just don’t expect her to clean the kitchen afterwards!

The fitness freak – If you can get this mom to stand still for a moment, hand her the brand new playlist you have created for her ipod complete with her favourite workout music.

The bookworm – There is nothing better than a good book. Download the newest novel by mom’s favourite author and either burn it onto CD’s that she can listen to while in the car or load it onto her ipod.

The environmentalist mom – Let’s face it….all mom’s are concerned about the world their children are growing up in. Here are some suggestions for the eco-warrior mom. Arrange for a tour of the local Wind Farm, have an “earth hour” at your home by turning off the lights, lighting some soy or beeswax candles and playing a board game with the family or prepare a brunch at home using local ingredients.

Here are some eco-friendly mother’s day gifts and ideas that you can feel good about giving!

Consumables – Gift certificates for restaurants or movie theatres, i-tunes gift cards, Starbucks or Tim Horton’s gift cards in reusable mugs.

Art – Make mom something! Mom’s love to get something hand made by her children. Frame a poem or a school art project…the sky is the limit! I have a lovely poem my adult daughter wrote for me sitting on my desk in a frame. When I look at it, it makes me smile.

P.S. I love you – Create a DVD for mom with pictures of you growing up including video telling your mom how much you love her. It will be a keepsake she will treasure forever. Most newer home computers have the software necessary to create your own DVD.

Time –Turn off your cellphone or blackberry and enjoy some quality time with your mom…. perhaps the most priceless gift of all, give your mom the gift of “you”.

Happy Mother's Day

Lend a Hand for Earth Day 2010

I have been researching for my blog and see there are many different articles floating about discussing how people should spend Earth Day 2010. So...I thought I would contribute my two cents worth.

Here is my recipe for spending Earth Day 2010

Find a project - call around to non-profit organizations, etc. and identify a "project" that you participate in. Perhaps it is painting a club house for the soccer association, or cleaning out the flower beds of the local seniors home. The important thing to remember is that the project must be designed to be completed that day so that there is a feeling of accomplishment achieved.

Now that you have identified a project you need to.....

Come up with a guest list - write down a list of individuals whom you could invite to participate in this project. Make sure you will have enough to complete the project as promised.

Send out the "invitations" - Go to the local Home Depot or hardware store and purchase work gloves. These will become your invitations for the event. Hand deliver only one glove to the invitee. Write on the palm of the glove, the details of the event, i.e. time, date, etc. You can explain that they will receive the other glove when they show up that morning.

"Lend a hand to celebrate Earth Day"

April 22nd

Time

Location

Project

When everyone arrives at the project site, hand out the second glove to participants. Arrange to have a member of the organization that you are supporting be there to explain the project and what the contribution means.

Post Project Picnic (love alliteration!) - You can either have a post project picnic at the site, or you can invite the participants over to your home for a barbeque. If you give them an hour to freshen up with the promise of a cold beer or glass of wine, they will be sure to attend. Psst....try to make it local beer or wine

Pictures!! Make sure that you take lots of pictures during the project. A group photo is really important because you will want to send each participant one as a great keepsake and thank you!

I hope you have a wonderful Earth Day!

This place is perfect....but it smells reallllly bad!

Have you ever walked into a venue such as a banquet room or a rural community hall and had your nasal passages assaulted by an “odour”…..nothing that you can put your finger on and identify really, other than it doesn’t smell very good.

Imagine you are a bride to be and you have your heart set on returning to your home town and holding your wedding reception in the community hall a mile from your family farm. The hall is perfect! It will hold 250 guests, has a large commercial kitchen, has a large parking lot and holds many pleasant memories for you. The downside is.......it kinda smells.

Seldom used rooms and buildings can often smell musty and stale. The doors are locked after each event and are not reopened until the next one, which could be weeks away. You want your guests to remember the food, the music, the speeches……not the smell.

The challenge for a green event planner is how can you remove the odour without using harmful or toxic products?

• Do a walk through of the venue and identify the trouble areas
• Make a plan and let the venue manager know what you intend to do to combat the odour.

Once you get approval from the manager:

• Open the doors! In the days preceeding your event, open the doors and windows. You can also set up a fan in a doorway with the fan facing out. This will help remove some of the stale air.
• Leave bowls of vinegar in closed off areas such as the bathrooms and coatrooms. Remove the bowls the day before the event. The vinegar will neutralize the odours. Baking soda will do the same thing.
• Spray undiluted vinegar into the air. You can also try diluted Vodka in a spray bottle. Theatre costume managers spray diluted vodka on the costumes before putting them away between shows.
• For small carpets, you can sprinkle baking soda, leave overnight and vacuum. You can even sprinkle course salt on the carpets with the baking soda. The action of the vacuum on the salted carpet can make the area appear brighter, cleaner.
• Make your own potpourri. Slice fruit such as oranges, apples and lemons and place them on a cookie sheet. Put them in the oven set on the lowest setting. Turn the slices over every hour until they are completely dried. Place the fruit in a jar and add things like cinnamon sticks and cloves. Leave the jar closed until the day of the event and at that time pour into a decorate container and leave in the washrooms or entry-way.
• Coffee beans are a great way to “disguise” unwanted smells. Pour the beans into a clear, square vase and insert a single large flower with a water tube into the beans until the tube is completely buried. Make a few of these and set them in the washrooms.
• Bucket List – Make sure that the floors have been thoroughly washed since the previous event. Spills from beer and pop can leave the floors sticky and smelly. Using a clean mop and bucket, wash the linoleum floors with a mixture of one cup of white vinegar for each gallon of water.

Interactive Seasonal Ingredient Map? No Way...Really?

Okay....you HAVE to check this out! Another tool in the Green Event Planner's Toolbox!

Click on me to see!

From the Epicurious website, an interactive seasonal ingredient map. Highlight a state and a month and it will tell you what is in season. Very neat!

J

Where have all the fish gone?

Sometimes when people find out I am an "eco or green" event planner they say, "oh, you must be an environmentalist". I usually respond with, "no, I am a realist". I am a realist when it comes to where our world is heading if we don't do our part. So, when I signed onto my twitter account and there was a tweet from Ellen Degeneres (yes, I follow Ellen Degeneres....she makes me smile) and she was mentioning a film titled, "The End of the Line" about overfishing, I was intrigued. I immediately opened another browser window and googled "The End of the Line". I watched the trailer and was "hooked".

This film is a documentary about the devastating effect of overfishing. The website stated that scientists are predicting that if we continue fishing as we are now, we will see the end of most seafood by 2048.

Normally, I won't recommend watching something with the word "end" in the title, because I want people to feel motivated, not paralyzed by fear. In the case of this movie, I think we all should watch it. Knowledge is power and if we know how to distinguish sustainable seafood at restaurants and our grocery stores, we will have the power to make a difference and ensure that our oceans remain alive.

Event planners out there!!! Remember to check out these guides when planning menu's for your events. Never underestimate your sphere of influence and how you can influence change.

Some great Resources: 

• Canada's Seafood Guide
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Fish2fork

J

Pre-loved makes sense!

Have you ever been brainstorming ideas for an event and wanted to do something creative, but were worried that you couldn't do it because it wasn't very sustainable? Green event planners struggle with this all the time and I wanted to share an example.

Last fall I was planning an event called "Take Flight" and we were trying to incorporate the theme into the conference wherever we could. One activity that I wanted to do is to have a paper airplane contest that any of the participants could enter as many times as they wanted. The person who created the paper airplane that flew the furthest won an actual airline voucher that they could use after the conference. The participants could fly their planes during coffee breaks and lunch in the designated area, a volunteer was there to measure and record their distance.

I struggled with it because I couldn't envision using perfectly good sheets of paper for the airplanes and what could I do with them afterward? I could use 100% recycled content paper, but still, it was very wasteful. So......what about using "pre-loved" paper? You know, the paper that we collect throughout the day, i.e. fax headers, etc. that goes directly into the recycling bin.

That is exactly what we did! The agencies involved saved 8.5 x 11 paper for me during the month prior so that we would have enough for our participants to make as many paper airplanes as they wanted. It worked wonderfully and the paper airplanes were collected and recycled following the event.

This is just an example of how you can still be creative AND sustainable during your events.

J