Office of Sustainability

Guide to Green Events

You can green your event by making food choices that rely less on animal agriculture and by aiming to create zero waste.

The goal of a zero-waste event is to eliminate as much waste as possible, from the amount of food you order to the manner in which catering staff and your guests divert or dispose of waste. With a little planning, you will find that achieving a zero-waste event is easy and rewarding.

Reducing Food Waste

  1. Consider whether you really need to serve food at your event.
  2. Choose conservative portion sizes and number of servings to avoid leftover food.
  3. Ask guest to RSVP to ensure that you do not over-order food. It's easy to create an RSVP with Google Forms.
  4. Post leftover food on the Brandeis Free Food Facebook Group. (Discard any food left out at room temperature for more than two hours, or one hour if the temperature in the event space is more than 90 degrees F.)

Choosing a Menu

  1. Choose a vegetarian or vegan menu.
  2.  If serving meat, choose poultry over beef.
  3. Swap individually canned/bottled beverages that come in larger quantities.
  4. Opt for finger foods to reduce the need for disposable utensils and dishware.
  5. Choose reusable dishware when possible.

Aiming for Zero Waste

  1. Request that your event setup include trash, recycling and compost bins, and that they be placed next to one another. Increasingly, our catered primarily need only a compost bin.
  2. Discuss the zero-waste goal with event staff and announce it to your guests.
  3. Recruit volunteers to stand near waste stations and help guests sort their items. The Brandeis Sustainability Ambassadors can also volunteer. Contact sustainability@brandeis.edu to request volunteers.