Your Guide To Planning an Eco-Friendly Trade Show

Julie Starr • November 29, 2021



An increasing number of companies recognize the need to reduce their negative environmental impact. As a result, they are looking for ways to participate in sustainable activities that will benefit the environment today and tomorrow. 

This recognition has led many of them to consider green practices when planning a trade show event. Since almost every company exhibits at trade shows, this is often an excellent opportunity to showcase one’s green practices and spread the word about positive changes being made on many levels, including environmental ones.

Unfortunately, some people misunderstand what it means to be “eco-friendly” or “green.” If you’ve attended any green conferences lately, you may have noticed that attending can be costly. Marketing budgets for these shows are huge, and there isn’t a lot of money left over for environmental costs. 

At best, they tend to be poorly attended and leave the environment worse off than before the show started. Unfortunately, this is all too common and can easily contribute to an “eco-unfriendly” sense of futility. It’s important to remember that green events need not be expensive or overdone in their approach, no more so than any other event ever planned by anyone for anything. 

There is no reason why eco-friendly trade shows cannot reach as many people as conventional ones do – if done right, as long as you have good content, timing, organization, and promotion. Following are some tips on how to plan an eco-friendly trade show. 

Be Authentic

When planning an “eco-friendly” trade show, the first thing to consider is that your company needs to be “eco-friendly” before you spend any resources on events, no matter how small. If your company isn’t already green and doesn’t anticipate becoming so in the future, it’s just not worth the effort. It makes sense to invest time and money into trade shows only when they are likely to carry an efficient use of things like marketing, booth space rentals, exhibitor costs, etc.

Plan In Advance

The next thing you need to consider is timing. You should start planning eco-friendly trade shows at least six months to a year in advance if possible. This will give you enough time to make arrangements, have your booth designed by a trade show booth company without placing too much pressure on yourself or other people involved with planning the event itself.

Focus On The Purpose

The third thing you need to do is have a clear purpose for having an eco-friendly trade show. This means being clear on why you are doing it in the first place, not just what benefits people will get from attending.  It also means deciding whether your goal is to showcase how energy efficient or “green” your products are or whether you intend to use this platform as a forum for educating others about environmental issues that most people don’t know about.  Remember that education can encourage action, but it’s often best to educate by promoting your own success stories rather than trying to talk down to anyone who disagrees with your point of view – they are both equally valuable ways of bringing awareness.

An eco-friendly trade show will have a positive impact on the environment and help you get more visitors to your booth. It can be a great way to practice going green without being too much in people’s faces about it. As companies continue their push for greener products and services, more people will take notice.

5 Everyday Items That Can Quietly Boost Your Brand

By Julie Starr • July 17, 2025
The best branding doesn’t always come from big campaigns or expensive graphics. Sometimes it’s the smaller stuff that leaves the biggest impression. Things people actually use, touch, or carry with them. That’s where your brand can quietly make its mark without needing to shout about it. If you’re only focusing on social media and business cards, you’re leaving a lot on the table. Here are five overlooked ways to get your name out there that feel natural, useful, and more personal. Thank-you slips If you’re already sending out orders, there’s no reason not to include a short thank-you slip. You can easily get these made through any decent online print shop , and they’re usually pretty cheap to run off in small batches. Just a simple note that says thanks, maybe with a reminder to follow you online or a cheeky discount code for next time. It’s quick, thoughtful, and makes the whole order feel more finished. Customers notice that kind of detail, especially when everything else they buy online comes with zero personality. You don’t need a complicated design either. Just something clean with your logo, a message that sounds like you, and maybe a social handle. The point is to give them a reason to come back or remember your name without it feeling forced. Branded zip pouches If you sell physical products, offer services, or run events, small zip pouches are surprisingly effective. Think of the kind you’d use for stationery, receipts, or travel bits. You can get your brand printed on the side and hand them out with purchases or include them in welcome packs. People keep them because they’re actually useful. They get tossed in handbags, school bags, or glove boxes and your logo just keeps turning up. Cleaning cloths for glasses or screens This one works brilliantly if you’re in tech, health, beauty, or anything involving screens or eyewear. A simple microfibre cloth with your branding on it can go a long way. Everyone needs one. Whether they use it for glasses, a phone screen, or their laptop, it’s something they hang onto. It’s not the kind of thing people throw away, and that means your name sticks around too. Receipt envelopes You might already use little envelopes to hand over receipts or business cards. Branding those envelopes is a small change that makes a big difference. Instead of someone getting a scruffy bit of paper in a plain sleeve, they’re handed something that feels a bit more finished. You can even add a message inside. Doesn’t need to be anything dramatic. A simple “thanks for visiting” or “see you next time” is enough to add a personal touch. Wet wipes or mini hand gels If your business is in hospitality, food, or anything hands-on, branded wet wipes or pocket-sized hand gels are surprisingly popular. People actually use them, especially at festivals, food stalls, pop-ups, or kids’ events. They end up in handbags or cars and stick around longer than you think. They don’t scream “marketing” either. They’re practical, and when done right, they make your business feel thoughtful. That’s what good branding does, it shows you’ve thought ahead.

How Student-Led ‘Energy Audits’ Are Cutting School Costs (and Lighting the Way Forward)

By Julie Starr • July 14, 2025
What happens when students stop waiting for adults to fix things and start conducting their own energy audits? Money gets saved. The lights get switched off. Data gets analyzed. And a quiet revolution in sustainability begins—inside schools that once overlooked their own inefficiencies. Across the globe, student-led energy audits are proving that change doesn't always need to come from a policy shift or a major capital budget. Sometimes, it begins with a clipboard, a spreadsheet, and a group of curious minds asking: Why are the hallway lights on at noon when sunlight floods the building? The Energy Detectives These audits aren’t science fair projects. They’re rigorous investigations, often done in collaboration with facilities staff, local environmental nonprofits, or even engineering mentors. Students go from classroom to classroom measuring electricity usage, checking for phantom loads , and identifying where heat is escaping in winter or air conditioning is leaking in summer. One high school in Ontario saved over $12,000 a year after its Grade 11 physics students ran an energy audit and suggested simple changes—LED upgrades, motion sensors in bathrooms, and smarter heating schedules. They didn’t just propose ideas. They pitched them with spreadsheets, thermal images, and payback timelines. It worked. Learning That Pays Off—Literally Unlike textbook learning, these audits blend real-world math, environmental science, economics, and persuasive communication. Students aren’t just learning about sustainability. They’re doing it. And the savings add up. From dimming overlit hallways to reprogramming HVAC systems that run all weekend for empty buildings, students are surfacing blind spots that administrators often overlook. In some districts, their findings are influencing energy policy. Elsewhere, the audits have inspired school boards to hire sustainability coordinators—often alumni of the student programs themselves. There’s something poetic about a school funding new books or laptops from money saved by students who found out the vending machines didn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. Why This Matters More Than Ever With education budgets tightening and utility costs rising, every dollar saved is a dollar that can go back into classrooms. And here’s where it gets interesting from a family finance perspective, too. If you’re a parent setting aside money for post-secondary savings, every bit of school efficiency helps. Fewer energy costs might mean more programming, better STEM facilities, or even bursaries. That raises a broader point: when families save for their children’s future, they often look into RESPs (Registered Education Savings Plans). And many wonder—is a RESP deduction available on my taxes? While contributions themselves aren’t deductible, the gains grow tax-free, and students often pay little to no tax when they withdraw the funds during school. A Movement Worth Replicating These audits aren’t just an exercise in environmentalism. They’re leadership labs. Students learn how to spot inefficiencies, speak up in board meetings, and make a business case for change. They don’t just flip switches—they shift mindsets. And they carry these habits into adulthood. The result? A generation growing up not only with climate anxiety, but also with tools to tackle it.