Laura Lopez is capping off her decades-long United Nations career as director of conference affairs for the UN Framework, which organizes climate change meetings including the annual COP conference.

COP26 hasn’t been the only conference to address the climate crisis. A number of other significant events have recently taken place with the environment, sustainability and climate change at the center of their missions.

The rooftop Farm at the Javits Center will grow 40 different crops and 40,000 pounds of produce annually — all to be incorporated into meals served at events on site.

More event venues are sourcing local ingredients for their menus, resulting in real positives: It supports good health and a community’s economy, and helps the environment in a number of ways.

As of Nov. 15, 120 business events industry organizations have signed the pledge, each committing to eliminating their global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Swag shouldn’t be stuff we all give or get but should stand for something, according to one company, Ethical Swag. 

Kimberly Lewis, board chair of clean energy nonprofit Groundswell, spoke with Convene about finding her calling, uplifting diverse communities into leadership roles, and making events people-centric.

During The Economist’s virtual Sustainability Week conference, the philanthropist and founder of Microsoft gives the world a “greater than 50 percent” probability of reaching net zero emissions, but with caveats.

As an assistant sustainability advisor for a London, U.K.–based events services firm focused on sustainable practices and innovation, Meg Strahle is combining her academic background in media, tourism, hospitality, and events, and research to make a difference.

Purchasing carbon offsets to shrink the footprint of events is becoming a more common practice, but not all offset programs are created equal. Here’s what to look for.

Demonstrating sustainability at your events sends an important message to your stakeholders. But how can you have more of an impact on the industries and professions you serve?

Event and experience designers have the opportunity to create an environment that is not only physically and emotionally transformative for attendees, but also has an impact on sustainability. Here’s how to start.