As part of their support for a more sustainable UK events industry, Venue Search London has just received Carbon Plus certification from leading carbon reduction and offsetting consultants, Carbon Footprint.
Their annual CO2 emissions have been calculated based on business and commuting trips, work from home and energy consumption in the office over the past twelve months. They have offset this estimate twice through two Gold Standard compensation programs.
The first is a UK tree planting program that plants mainly on school sites, providing children with an education and supporting wildlife habitats, while sequestering carbon emissions. For every tCO2e offset, one tree is planted in the UK and an additional tCO2e is offset through a VCS Tree Buddying project to guarantee emissions reductions.
The second supports international community projects in developing countries that have strong additional benefits beyond reducing CO2 emissions. These include health benefits, saving money for low-income families and reducing deforestation, but also include efficient household cooking stoves and clean drinking water projects.
However, Venue Search London recognizes that our carbon footprint represents only a fraction of the total carbon emissions of the events we organize (even if we host them in the best sustainable venues in London).
By way of example, based on an estimate from Event Decision, a typical one-day conference at a London venue with delegates from the London and South East region will emit a total of 20 tonnes of carbon (tCO2e). To offset this with Gold Standard schemes it will cost around £250.
Sam Gill commented: “We appreciate that while offsetting is not a long-term solution to tackling climate change, measuring your event’s carbon emissions is the first step in raising awareness of the impact of your event and the many ways you can reduce it in the long run. future, through location choice, catering and especially location, as travel to and from events often makes the largest contribution.”
“We are excited to work closely with Greengage and Event Decision, both of which offer measurement tools and consulting services to support your carbon offset and reduction plans.”
The team at Venue Search London are committed to supporting event buyers on this journey and can recommend venues that have a proven track record of sustainability within their operations.