Sydney based event management firm, Sane Event Group are taking a lead in the production of sustainable events via their achievement of low CO2 100 per cent certification issued by the Carbon Reduction Institute.

Sane Events are now able to offer clients options on how to conduct low CO2 or carbon-neutral events in line with their own corporate responsibility and sustainability policy.

The certification guarantees that Sane Event Group have undergone a rigorous carbon emissions assessment to measure operational impacts on climate change, along with a full commitment to offsetting 100% of this amount.

Sane Event’s Sue-Ellen McTaggart (left) and Michelle O’Donahoo (right)

The decision to become a low CO2 accredited company was not one taken lightly, especially as keeping the status requires annual assessment.

Michelle O’Donahoo, director of Sales and marketing Sane Event Group found that when researching companies in which to buy carbon credits, some organisations are more reputable than others.

“We specifically chose the Carbon Reduction Institute as the offsets are used towards a program that is quantitative and qualitative, unlike plantation programs which are politically influenced, difficult to measure and often not monitored effectively.

“Although this is a big commitment for a business like ours, I’m positive the benefits gained will far outweigh any costs involved, especially in this highly-competitive environment of events,” said O’Donahoo.

Having these sustainable credits and status is a highly sought-after differentiator in the corporate market.

“We are already seeing the interest and positive affects our commitment has delivered. Going forward, I don’t see how we as an industry will can’t have serious measures for sustainable practices in our offerings.

‘Our accreditation is an added value to our clients as they can feel assured that Sane Events knows and understands the issues of carbon management and more importantly, what to do about it,” said O’Donahoo.

Carbon credits purchased by Sane Event Group go directly to recipients of the Carbon Reduction Institute’s sustainability scheme.
The project chosen by the team at Sane Event Group was the Haryana Renewable Energy Project in India. This project supports improved livelihoods and invests in a sustainable future generating renewable energy from the collection and clean burning of waste agricultural products. Such products include rice husks, purchased from local farmers; the farmers are paid for their waste, providing a new source of income for the local community.