By ​Ty Cowie, Green Event Service Assistant, GreenLight Solutions

As a student volunteering at Green Living’s 2024 The Future of Sustainability event, I had no idea how eye opening this opportunity was going to be. Changemakers came together to discuss their sustainability efforts with one common goal in mind: making our world a greener and cleaner place to live. 

Attending this event as the GreenLight Solutions Green Events Services Assistant, I had one thing in mind: to carry out my duties effectively. GreenLight Solutions has created a dynamic corps of volunteers, aptly named the F.U.N. community, dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of public events. Their dedication includes well-coordinated collection of refuse items, along with segregation and recycling initiatives, guaranteeing events to leave a near-zero-waste footprint. This innovative viewpoint by GreenLight Solutions and the F.U.N. community contributes significantly to reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices in event planning and execution. This unified perspective does not just preserve cleanliness, but also showcases the vital role of environmental stewardship in event management. 

I found myself captivated by the event and its group of panelists. Imagine this: big, impactful companies and top leaders in various industries participating in a panel on greener urban areas, introducing new strategies on architecture, water, electricity, and green living being implemented into their projects. This begins to capture the attention of someone who is here to simply sort trash. Not only were there urban planners, but technology companies with the aims of making charging stations accessible and collecting data to analyze and encourage different behaviors for a net-zero future. The panel was very enlightening — not only because every company was focusing on change, but hearing these companies have a dual purpose to make the world greener and also run business operations made this panel very interesting.

From the occasional interaction to note “that goes in the trash” to a guest, to sorting the bins, I found myself mingling with many people at the event unintentionally. This volunteering opportunity quickly became a sanctuary for impactful networking.

At the end of the event, we gathered the landfill, recyclable, and compostable materials with gloves and trash-picking sticks. Thanks to our efforts, 86% of the waste from the event was diverted from the landfill through composting and recycling. This CO2 impact saved is equivalent to charging 3,800 smartphones or driving 147 miles.  

Once the event concluded, I couldn’t help but reflect on the powerful energy that filled my mind. The Future of Sustainability wasn’t just a conference, it was an effort to change the world that brought businesses, nonprofits, and passionate individuals together for a greater, greener cause. 

​The journey towards a sustainable future is ongoing — whether you’re a CEO, employee, or volunteer sorting through trash at a local nonprofit , or simply as someone who cares a lot about the planet, remember that every action counts. Let’s keep making an impact, pushing our boundaries, and inspiring change to make our goal for a greener future successful in every sector.