Implement a communications strategy about the event’s plastic free agenda.
Education and promotion around your plastic free agenda is essential to increase staff/ vendor/ public awareness and participation. Your approach to community and the way you address their concerns plays an important role to the success of your event this year and next.
If you already have a communications plan in place, you can simply add these actions to it. We have broken it down into categories below and have included resources to help you.
Vendors
Information should be provided from the start to your vendors explaining what you're doing, why you're doing it and how they can participate.
Staff and Volunteers
Communicating to your staff and volunteers is a priority. They are directly affected and may need some guidance to help them participate.
Information should be provided from the start to your vendors explaining what you're doing, why you're doing it and how they can participate.
A pre-event letter to your vendors is a great way to provide information and gain their support.
If you plan to compost and have zero tolerance written into your event policy for vendor non-compliance, you may also want to consider incorporating specific clauses into your current vendor agreement to ensure compliance.
Encourage your vendors sign up to become a member of Plastic Free Noosa, so we can come out and work with them personally.
Communicating to your staff and volunteers is a priority. They are directly affected and may need some guidance to help them participate. Information should be provided from the start explaining what you're doing, why you're doing it and how they can be involved. Most people are very willing to be involved once they have been included and understand the process.
For staff and volunteers, you will want to ensure they understand your waste system and what goes into each bin. You will also want to ensure they know what to do to prepare for the day. For e.g. if you would like them to bring their own water bottles. It would help to send out a pre-event letter to your staff/volunteers that outlines your practices, how you would like them to be involved and FAQ's- you can use our template staff letter for this purpose - just edit and send.
For those staff and volunteers that are directly involved with your waste (e.g waste warriors who will be standing with your bin stations), you will need to ensure they have adequate training.
For the public, include the message on all event materials, promotions and site signage. Your aim is to ensure they are aware, but also to ensure they know what to do in order to participate. In your messaging we advise that you thank the public for their help and for being a part of the solution to help them to feel positive about the experience.
Below are some downloadable templates for communicating your plastic free message at your event
Ready to go plastic free? Plastic Free Noosa helps to protect the environment by empowering the Noosa community in eliminating single-use plastics through direct engagement, recognition and facilitating circular economies.
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