Swadesh Padhi is a marketing ambassador at London-based gifting platform ForestNation, where he works to integrate tree planting into activities for businesses, communities, and individuals alike. He is passionate about encouraging others to grow trees to reforest Mother Earth.
Trees. They're probably not what comes to mind when thinking about meetings and events, but ForestNation was created to change that narrative.
Whether a thoughtful gift just because, a means of getting access to an event, or a giveaway that'll surely have someone thinking about your company (and for a long time—a tree's average lifespan is anywhere from 30-2,000 years!), consider these unusual—yet very extraordinary—ways to make your next event more sustainable using trees...
Tree Kits as Event Giveaways
Make a lasting impact by giving away tree kits that attendees can grow at home, like Salesforce did with this wall display courtesy of HAKO Machines. The company provide guests with fully branded tree kit cups that are eco-friendly and compostable, so you won't have to worry about waste. And aside from the fact that planting trees contributes to a powerful cause message and creates a more positive environmental impact, recipients will think of your company every time they see their tree. Another tip? Encourage recipients to share their tree-growth journey by naming their trees and posting photos and updates on social media using a designated hashtag.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
Tree Kits as Event Passes
Looking to decrease your meeting or event's carbon footprint? Then say "goodbye" to plastic badges and "hello" to eco-friendly tree kits as event passes. How it works: A pouch containing soil and a small tree is sealed, attached to a lanyard, and labeled with all the usual suspects on a trade show attendee badge. When the event is over, guests can go home, and instead of discarding their badge and sending it off to a landfill, they can open it up and plant a tree. Not only will attendees appreciate your sustainable efforts, but the trees they grow will serve as a lasting reminder of your event's impact. Consider taking your green efforts a step further by choosing bamboo lanyards for a 100% eco-friendly solution.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
A Tree-Centered Gift That Makes a Social Impact
A green touch is sure to make any gift more meaningful. Take it from this high-tech, impact-driven mug, for example, where recipients can scan the mug's QR code, gain access to a Forest profile, and plant trees in the Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. The effort both offsets the gift's carbon footprint, transforming it into a carbon-negative gesture, but also creates jobs and sustainable income for people in need in Tanzania.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
Gift a Forest to Event Attendees
If an e-gift is more your speed, ForestNation allows companies, individuals, or event teams to plant an entire forest on a person or group's behalf. For event profs, consider purchasing enough trees to offset the emissions from your event. (Planting single tree starts at $0.40 in Tanzania and $0.60 in Haiti.) Senders can then customize their e-gift using slides, GIFs, photos, and text overlays for a fun touch. Recipients can then view their gifted forest, including your personalized message, via their Forest profile.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
Plant Trees to Offset Your Event's Emissions
To calculate your event's emissions (in order to plant trees to offset those emissions), ForestNation recommends Happily’s emissions calculator. Happily leads by example—the event agency offsets all of its own event emissions by planting trees in its namesake forest in Tanzania. Don't forget to let attendees and consumers know about your sustainability-focused, reforestation efforts! The planners and stakeholders behind the U.K.'s Manufacturing and Engineering Week did so with this display wall. The wall detailed how the event planted 5,472 trees to offset emissions, and has a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
Generate Leads with Trees
Bet you never thought a QR code could go green! Think again: Try utilizing QR codes and landing pages with lead capture forms at events where, for every form filled out, a tree is planted. Anyone who completes the form will then receive an email with their gifted forest and a personalized message from you.
Photo: Courtesy of ForestNation
