A Styrofoam Cup & the Aha Moment
How did a styrofoam cup change the path of an event company? In the early days of event planning at MeetGreen, there was an “Aha” moment that changed the course of our planning. This moment would pave the way for our planning of sustainable events and our impact on the events industry as leaders in sustainable conference management.
Let’s go back in time and see how it all began!
The Styrofoam Cup Impact
Nancy Zavada, our founder, had that “Aha” moment during a planning session for one of our first events. Finding out that the venue only served styrofoam cups and plates put this all into perspective. She stepped back and thought about the following:
- Planning a five-day event for 2,500 attendees
- Multiplying the number of styrofoam cups for this event would use 75,000 cups
When Nancy realized the impact of the styrofoam cups alone for this one event, she knew she had to make a different choice.
Choosing Reusable Instead of Disposable
Once Nancy thought about her event, she multiplied the number by of styrofoam cups at all the meetings happening just that week throughout the world. The number was staggering. It hit her like a lightning bolt: Event planners and their hosting organizations had the opportunity to make a huge impact on the environment simply by choosing reusable instead of disposable service ware.
Inspiration & Optimism
Sadly, in 1994, when Nancy founded MeetGreen, very few were asking for better options. With her inspired optimism, it was time to make a difference by educating:
- Educating Planners
- Venues
- Host Organizations
- Anyone who would listen
Sharing the knowledge about the environmental and economic impact of their choices became our priority to care for our planet and her people.
Our Journey
Starting with our first client and with everyone after that, we ensured their events offered the most sustainable practices. Primarily serving the tech community, we found our clients and their attendees were the perfect demographic to help us take up the charge and provide the buying power to make a difference.
The rest, so they say, “Is history!”
The post A Pivotal Moment Thanks to a Styrofoam Cup appeared first on MeetGreen.