won't you be my neighbour?

ecoEvents vancouver was recently asked to "explain [our] social media personality". our what??!

well, this took some thinking because i wasn't sure how to define that succinctly. like most people (in real life and in social media), ecoEvents vancouver is dynamic and multi-faceted.

gravity7 blogger adrian chan defined 11 social media personality types:

1. status seeker
2. critic
3. socializer
4. em-cee
5. lurker
6. buddy
7. creator
8. pundit
9. rebel
10. officiator
11. harmonizer

i'm not sure if we fit into one of these types but i think we if we look back at our initial "blog-isode" for ecoEvents vancouver, our aim was to share knowledge on sustainable event planning, and to collaborate with you while lessening negative impacts on our planet. the concept of sustainability is based on the idea of community and making a difference together. so, while ecoEvents vancouver is part creator, part buddy, and part harmonizer... at the end of the day ecoEvents vancouver might just be your neighbour.

your neighbour who wants to work with you to do good things for the local community.

through his blog urban organic gardner, mike lieberman hopes to "to continually raise awareness about our food and encourage people to start growing some of their own and reconnect with their food source." he offers anything from gardening tips to recipes to information on GMO practices, all in the name of inspiring/empowering the community (local and online) around him to grow their own food. he, like ecoEvents vancouver, is a creator, a buddy, a harmonizer... a neighbour.

are you the neighbourly type? or do you know of other neighbourly places online that we can collaborate with on sustainable practices? we would love to hear from you on what you do for our planet!

sustainability + transparency

transparency is paramount to an organization, especially in the ever-emerging era of social media. an organization openly discussing its mission and goals with the online community is fundamental in building a level of trust and an honest and strong relationship with them.

however, an organization may make claims about their goals and values but how do we, as a consumer or an organizational stakeholder, know if the organization is truly accountable for these claims?

elaine cohen, a sustainability consultant, recently touched upon the importance of transparency in sustainable business practices in her article "transparency is the key to sustainability". she has been part of team that has developed a methodology and index to measure and quantify corporate transparency by assessing what sustainability information is available on a corporation's website.


cohen stresses the importance of transparency in sustainability reporting and that "once a company makes a commitment to transparency, the rest must follow". it's interesting to think of a single organization's transparency practices blowing the doors wide open for others in their industry, especially in industries that traditionally may have been perceived as secretive or tight-lipped (like oil companies, for example).

while it's important for an organization to be open and honest with the public, limits should be considered. it's likely not really important to know if an organization's office walls are painted grey or beige.

if the organization is able to own up to the claims or goals that they publicly endorse, is that enough? what do you think? are there certain items that all organizations should be transparent about?

bon iver's "holocene"

just because...

sustainability... at events + in the office.

check out this article in the guardian... a few tips on executing a sustainable event and how to be a 'green' worker bee at the office!

what kind of things do you do around the workplace or for your personal events that help make things a little greener?

"you can tell how high a society is by how much of its garbage is recycled."
- tahanie

happy 40th, greenpeace!

the vancouver 'local' turns 40 today! happy birthday, greenpeace!

we're #1!

check this out!

according to a recent article from government buyer magazine, vancouver is canada's sustainability leader!

"based on per capita gdp, vancouver has out performed many of its wealthier us counterparts and garners the mantle of “greenest” canadian city in the us and canada green city index."

check out the full results of the us and canada green city index here and learn how we ranked on the nine factors measured.

hey, san francisco! thanks for giving us something to aspire to... we'll try to keep up!

welcome to ecoEvents vancouver!

welcome to the very first blog-isode on ecoEventsvancouver.blogspot.com, where we look forward to sharing with you information on upcoming events, planning ideas, and our thoughts on the sustainable event planning industry!

based in british columbia, ecoEvents vancouver specializes in planning and executing sustainable events that lessen negative impacts on the environment and contribute positively to the local community.

a proud green leader, we provide full-service consulting and event planning for:

• corporate events
• weddings
• special events
  
• private functions

stay posted for the latest info on planning events that can positively effect the world around us!

"it's not too late at all. you just don't yet know what you are capable of."

-mahatma gandhi