Eco-Events, what are they really? I always wanted to write about this subject because I always have been very interested in the “Event” world, and my participation as a press people to the event DoitEco was just the perfect occasion to write on it. I had the chance to participate in many other eco-events but they were so “non-eco” that I could not allow myself to write on them. Write about what? all the errors they do? I want positive projects;news that moves on, stories showing good practices. An event can be analyzed according to his goal, his organization and the impact it has on the environment. The DoitEco project is a great case to determine your Green Eco-Event Check list.

All that matters in the end is the result

Caring about the environment is also doing something for it. Ally and its collaborators not only thought about an innovative way to promote eco-fashion in Greece and but also made it happen. Presenting innovative mission and an interesting event’s idea is one part, what follows is the realization of the event and how the mission is translated into practice.

The DoitEco project Team, give emphasis to the marketing and communication part, by implementing specific green communication practices. With a mission to promote eco-fashion trends in Greece to the actors of the fashion but also to the public, their strategy was completely aligned with their goal. This is what makes an event succeed. Creating the first all times Eco Fashion Event in Greece, was a very innovative strategic and marketing move that attract the attention of most of the media from a very wide range (Kathimerini wrote about the event, MTV made a special interview to Nopi Ropamindou, and many other magazines talked about the event). Ally succeeded in gathering not only the eco-community in Greece, but by opening the issue to the wide public. In addition, they ensured to represent the Greek eco-fashion community by having in the designers of the show, the Greek Eco Designer Athena Bentila, without whom an eco-fashion show couldn’t be organized. In parallel, all the other designers were obliged to propose a special piece made out of natural material. With this gesture the Project Team forced designers to discover environmental practices in the fashion business, and let’s hope some of them will continue the tradition and integrate more and more eco-collections.

Η μόδα στην εποχή της Βιωσιμότητας 21.12.2013 Photo Credit: DoitEco Project

As the mission is not only inform actors of the fashion industry but also the public, DoitEco organized with the Aephoria.net Network and the Ecoluxe London a special seminar on environmental behavior through the wardrobe, open to the public. During which, one could learn about tips to reduce your Carbon Footprint through the wardrobe and on what principles Eco-fashion relies on. The DoitEco promotion was green, mainly electronic; very few printings were made; only the strictly required, we, the media, received all the information needed through mails in very good timing and very detailed information making our work easier and faster. All marketing and business gifts were eco-informative and a very nice YouTube video’s marketing campaign was developed allowing personalities to send environmental messages to the public. There is one point that I wish to underline, that I regret, is that there project team never communicated the propositions and ideas out coming from the seminar. There is not info on what was presented and proposed in practical, like a sort of “Guide to be Greener through your wardrobe”.

As the event was local, the transportation emissions were minimize, a very good access with public transportation allowed an easy access, participants could live their car at home, but no real communication on this fact. Transportation’s environmental costs is a very important part of an eco-event, even more when the event is organized outside your city, therefore is mandatory to evaluate the best way to reduce this impact before organizing your event. According to the number of participants and the volume of travel, actions must be taken to reduce or offset the emissions.

DoitEco Event 14/01/2014 Photo Credit: Camille Delcour MissBlue

The event’s location has a very important role in determine how green an event is; has the organization collaborated with the location’s manager in order to ensure energy saving measures, and implementation of environmental management. It is not always possible since, we do not usually own the building or location we use for an event but sometimes collaboration and brainstorming can bring innovative ideas and even underline practices that the owner did not think about it before. It amplifies in a way your impact. The DoitEco project took place in the Technopolis of Gazi, a central event building without any specific environmental characteristics. We did not receive any information on the lighting used, so I must assume that the lightening was basic, without any energy saving character. A positive detail is that the building offered wi-fi allowing paper reduction and communication costs reduction. On the other hand, the organization gave less attention to the catering details, proposing Lipton tea (a company which makes some action for the protection of the environment but the product is not organic) in plastic glasses and the models were presented on mainly plastic decorations and flowers while a very interesting proposal was the seats made out of hay, very nice idea!

Nevertheless the event was a real success since the fashion show opened its doors to more than 500 initially invited, the pieces presented by the designers were very interesting an innovative, showing the power of the Greek ideas and the show made Greece the 7^th Country to organize the Eco-Fashion event.

Next week, part 3 Ecological Event – A fashion trip with the DoitEco Event Get your eco-event check list

Read the 1^st Part

You need your own study case? Contact me camilledelcour@missblue.org and make your green transition a reality.

About DoitEco: The DoitEco Project is a series of ecological actions and activities which ended on January, 14^th2014 at Technopolis culminating in the EcoFashionShow in Greece. Recognized Greek and foreign designers presented creations made out of eco-friendly materials, with their signature to set an example and send a message of sustainability and respect of the environment. Greece is the seventh country in the world to host in the capital the EcoFashionEvent, after Vancouver, Berlin, London, Moscow, New York and Cyprus.