Conference Matters 142

'It's essential to press the right buttons'

tical about general statements such as ‘we aim to be carbon neutral by 2030’, which is why it’s effective to communicate infographics and monitor information on your platforms, for instance. Due to the risk of being portrayed as green washers, conference and event organisers are sometimes reluctant to communicate about sustainability, even when proper steps are being taken in this area. This is also called ‘green hushing’.

event. For example, at music festivals, in addition to travel and transport, the high energy require ments and waste flows also have a major impact on the environment. To prevent the risk of greenwash effects, it’s important to communicate honestly and trans parently about what you do, especially about what still needs to be done, as well as have internal processes in place. It’s a ‘show, don’t only tell’ principle. It’s important to be specific. The public is scep

the event, for example, by reducing the impact of the event through travel choices, consumption and waste flows? These goals require a targeted approach.” What if an event wanted to communicate externally that it’s sustainable? “First of all, it would be necessary to carefully investigate whether you have a right to speak. There’s a lot of discussion about this, especially at international events, in part because of how much travel is involved in participating in the

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