As event planners, take a closer look at the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs for short. Integrating the SDGs into events is an important step on the road to sustainability. With conscious event planning and implementation of sustainable practices, your events can also make an important contribution to solving global problems and at the same time become a role model for sustainability. For this reason, today we present "SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy".

SDG 7 - affordable and clean energy

SDG 7 pursues the goal that all people have access to affordable, reliable and modern energy. To this end, the share of renewable energy in the global mix is to be increased and the global energy efficiency rate doubled. International cooperation is to be strengthened to facilitate access to renewable energy research and technologies and to promote investment in clean energy. At the same time, infrastructure in developing countries is to be expanded to enable modern and sustainable energy services for all.

These measures are essential to shaping a sustainable and environmentally friendly energy future and addressing global climate change.

This is what SDG 7 means for events

SDG 7 "affordable and clean energy" challenges you as an actor in the event industry to optimize your energy consumption and use energy-efficient technologies.

They should focus more on renewable energies such as solar and wind power to increase the share of sustainable energy sources - whether as a supplier or as a consumer of these energies. After all, sustainable infrastructure and awareness for clean energy are also crucial aspects that we can implement with our events to support SDG 7.

You, as an event planner or service provider, can contribute to achieving the SDG 7 goal of "affordable and clean energy" by using energy-efficient technologies such as LED lighting and power-saving devices. In addition, you can integrate renewable energies such as solar energy and wind power into your events.

Consciously select sustainable venues and locations that use environmentally friendly infrastructure, e.g. green electricity. By increasing resource efficiency, implementing awareness-raising measures and working with sustainable service providers, you contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally friendly event industry.

These immediate actions at events pay toward SDG 7

Start today! You can make a lot of difference, for example by:

Perform energy audit

Start with an energy audit to identify current energy consumption and the main polluters. This will give you a clear overview of potential savings and optimization opportunities.

Switch to renewable energies

Consider using renewable energy for the event. If possible, use solar energy or other sustainable energy sources to reduce CO₂ emissions.

Solar energy as a new source of income for locations and municipalities

Solar roofing of buildings, open spaces and parking lots ensures CO₂ reduction, cost reduction and offers you as a location provider or municipality new sources of income, e.g. through the sale of electricity and expansion of the charging infrastructure.

Produce energy yourself

Producing your own renewable energy also ensures energy security if energy should become scarce again. The combination of own production and storage in batteries has many advantages. Batteries also allow you to absorb power peaks and use smaller power connections, which can significantly reduce costs.

Use energy efficient lighting and technology

Go for energy-efficient lighting systems and technologies that reduce power consumption. By switching to LED lighting, you can already make a significant contribution to energy savings.

Choose sustainable venues

Prioritize sustainable venues that have environmentally friendly infrastructure. This includes, for example, motion detectors, monitoring systems for energy consumption as well as renewable energies and/or through large window areas with daylight.

Promote environmentally friendly mobility

Promote environmentally friendly transportation for participants and employees. Offer incentives for the use of public transport or cycling.

Awareness

Integrate the topic of clean energy and sustainability into your event communications. Inform attendees and employees about the importance of responsible energy consumption and encourage them to get actively involved.

Measure and optimize energy consumption

Monitor energy consumption during the event and identify areas where further savings are possible for you. Learn from each event to increase the energy efficiency of future events.

Have the actual energy consumption billed

As a venue provider, you should only charge for actual consumption instead of flat rates for electricity. In this way, you promote energy-saving behavior among event organizers and exhibitors.

Events that lead by example

Many events actively promote sustainability, for example:

Rock in Rio 

Rock in Rio, one of the world's largest music festivals, has become a pioneer in sustainability. At their event in Lisbon, Portugal, organizers used solar energy to cover part of the electricity needs for the stages. They also implemented energy-saving measures in lighting and reduced waste.

Renewables Day at Roskilde Festival

The Roskilde Festival in Denmark has a special day known as "Renewables Day" dedicated to promoting renewable energy. The day includes workshops, discussions and activities around renewable energy and sustainability.

Glastonbury Festival

The organizers of the Glastonbury Festival in the UK have set themselves the goal of switching completely to renewable energy by 2024. They already rely on solar energy and biomass for power and are continuously working to reduce energy consumption and use sustainable technologies.

Olympic Games Tokyo 2020

The Tokyo Olympics have implemented sustainable energy practices to support SDG 7. For example, solar energy systems were installed on the roofs of some Olympic venues to support energy supply. In addition, there was a focus on energy efficiency in venues to minimize energy consumption.

Intersolar Europe

Intersolar Europe is one of the world's leading solar and renewable energy trade shows. The event brings together manufacturers, suppliers, professionals and investors from the renewable energy sector to support the promotion and exchange of innovative technologies for sustainable energy production.

Green Meetings Conferences

Various organizations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), have developed guidelines and certifications for green meetings. As an organizer, you can follow these best-practice guidelines to realize sustainable events.

Climate Week NYC

Climate Week NYC is a major climate conference held in New York City. To support SDG 7, the organizers are using renewable energy and promoting the use of public transportation for participants and visitors.

ees Europe

Europe's largest and most international trade fair for batteries and energy storage systems. The event promotes the importance of energy storage in conjunction with renewable energies to ensure a sustainable and stable energy supply.

Conclusion

If sustainable events become the standard, their high reach and variety create enormous potential to change the world in a positive way! This is how - also your? - Events become part of the solution - be an active part of it.

More information

Sabine Böhling, consultant, trainer and lecturer for sustainability and CSR, and Stefan Lohmann, expert for live entertainment concepts and founder of Sustainable Event Solutions, present the 17 SDGs and apply them to events. This series first appeared on tw-media, the meetings industry.

• more about the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
• more about the 16 Steps Initiative