UP Events goes further
In June, UP Events achieved the Green Key Certificate. Green Key is the leading standard of excellence in the field of sustainable development in the tourism and event industry. It represents the commitment of UP Events to sustainability and environmental responsibility. It is a high-quality ecolabel with ambitious standards, opening the doors for us to improve our work and create an even more sustainable environment in which we can #BeBetter, every day!
Sustainable thinking, doing and improving
At UP Events, we have always been trying to improve green thinking within the company. We like to take care of each other, and this includes the environment around us!
Daan Lefeber, Floor Manager at UP Events, was up to the challenge of achieving the Green Key certificate. Personally, his drive for sustainable development started with focusing on one question: how can we reduce the food we waste? He saw how important food and drinks are in our offered activities. This is where UP Events can make a change when it comes to choosing responsible products and reducing food waste. Daan’s question turned into a solution: now food waste is being tackled through the development of a compost system, but also by offering organic products and having a more significant focus on vegetarian and vegan options during the events.
Greenchoice
Turning an idea to make things better into actual action is not just unique to Daan’s story. While reducing food waste is important, we also strive to be as sustainable as possible in providing energy. At UP, we enjoy together with other companies to make sure we can connect and meet our goals in green development.
To provide the area with energy, we work together with Greenchoice. It is seen as the most sustainable energy brand in the Netherlands. This way, we know for sure that we can work in a CO2-neutral way to get all the energy we need at our location. Secondly, we provide sustainable sun protection; neutral materials for isolation; and waste wood for the heaters once it gets too cold.
With the ongoing projects to develop green thinking, we are going beyond the Green Key: we are not just striving for a certificate. As being part of an impactful industry for the environment, we believe in going as green as possible and doing the right thing both for our clients, ourselves, and our planet.
Make UP your (green) mind
To develop sustainability within our events and our offered products, we first need to implement a green thinking mindset within the company. At UP Events we believe it is important to bring awareness to both our colleagues and our clients about sustainability. Playing a part in the culture of UP means playing a part in our green responsibility.
It’s not just about showing off that you’re sustainable: you also have to prove it
Daan Lefeber, Floor Manager at UP Events
As soon as new colleagues become a part of our amazing team, we make sure that their onboarding process includes the topic of green and sustainable thinking. While a part of this is included in our general policy and norms, we also focus on education. We strive for everyone to be able to think green: every decision that is made should be made as sustainable as possible, and we want to have this normalized for all our colleagues. But educating our people does not stop there: our colleagues are invited to join an annual presentation on sustainability to make sure that we never stop learning and always keep improving ourselves.
While it is important to focus on our own improvement, we are also busy with raising our clients’ awareness of sustainability. We like to educate our clients about what they can do for themselves, for example through our offered CSR company outings. We also like to make sure they know what UP Events’ responsibility is in sustainable development.
Teamwork makes the green work
The achievement of the Green Key certificate opens the doors for other organizations to collaborate with us. We have always liked to work in collaboration with others to improve our level of sustainability. Greenchoice was already mentioned, but we also collaborate with local companies such as FrietHoes. They provide us with traditionally prepared fresh fries and strive towards a zero-waste policy.
The area of UP Events, ‘De Tuinen van West’ is a self-governing region within Amsterdam. Sustainability and corporate social responsibility are central here. In this area, we do not only focus on the use of sustainable materials and taking care of nature. We are also aware of the surrounding environment and the people. By communicating with each other we can ensure that collaborations run smoothly and that UP Events can provide others with what they need. Together we can make an impact and actively contribute to a better and sustainable world.
Be better, every day!
At UP Events we like to show, not tell: we are constantly working on improving our work on sustainability. The Green Key Certificate shows us and others that we are passionate about reducing our negative impact on the environment. We want to make meaningful and sustainable decisions. One of our core values is “do the right thing” and we believe that our responsibility is in creating a sustainable environment in which we can take care of each other, have fun, and be better every day!