Mary Poppins meets event sustainability

“Fun theory”. Just saying the two words one after the other sucks any “good times” energy out of the idea, doesn’t it?

Contradictory terms, but a gem of an idea for event professionals wanting to influence event participants to make better, more sustainable choices. The brainchild of brand creatives at Volkswagen, Fun Theory proposes that something as simple as “…fun is the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better. Be it for yourself, for the environment, or for something entirely different, the only thing that matters is that it’s change for the better”.

A brilliant thought! But how to inject fun into your event sustainability program to influence actions that reduce negative impacts and do social good?

Consider these creative ideas that could be adapted to your event to….

Increase health and wellness of event participants by encouraging them to get physically active.

Event-related example: Check out the Westin Ottawa’s use of piano stairs to get their staff moving.

Reduce waste to landfill by making recycling a game.

Event-related example: Get Your Green On! Mobile event app game from Event Camp Vancouver.

Reduce litter by making trash pick-up fun.

Event-related example: Coachella TRASHed program by Global Inheritance

SNAP! How do you make the event sustainability job a game?

And is a “spoonful of sugar” the only way to get the job done?