Eating Responsibly: A Model for Environmentally Conscientious Events

Over three frigid January days in Prague, the Eat Responsibly project gathered for a closing conference. For organisers it was not only an opportunity to discuss the achievements of the previous three years and share lessons learned, but to demonstrate at every meal and coffee break, what it really means to ‘Eat Responsibly’.

“We really felt this was an opportunity to practice what we preach,” said Michaela Cermakova, “Our criteria was that the food had to be vegan, local and seasonal. And we achieved that – all the food provided at the event is from the Czech Republic, even the dried fruits.”

Some 150 participants gathered for the two and a half day event. Attendees were given lunch and an evening meal – twice – as well as a host of snacks and sweet treats to fuel them through the day.

Every mouthful consumed was locally produced and seasonal, with the exception only of the coffee, tea and rice. This was no small feat given that the event too place in Europe in the depths of winter, when local and seasonal produce is at its most limited.

Much of the team’s success in meeting their own tough criteria came from being plugged into their community of local producers and service providers built over the three-year life of the Eat Responsibly project.



“It’s really important to know your local networks, know your values – and theirs,” said Ms Cermakova, acknowledging that the timing of the event added to their constraints. “Getting the vegetables was the hardest part, at this quality, at this time of year.”

Initially, the menu was going to be vegetarian with vegan options, but after discussion with the caterers they decided that offering different food options added complexity and cost to the catering bill. So they decided to go 100% vegan.

“When we decided to go vegan, we challenged ourselves to provide only the most delicious vegan food, so that we could really show people how good it can be,” said Ms Cermakova. “And actually it made sense [from a programme perspective] as vegan is more in line with a sustainable approach to eating.”

Vegetable bakes were accompanied by colourful beet, carrot and nutty salads – some of which were even made by conference attendees in side events on healthy eating. At breaks, snacks of scrumptious vegan biscuits and brownies were on offer along with local organic apples. Even the milk for teas and coffees was local and biodynamic (produced from cows that graze on farms where a holistic approach to agriculture prioritises the health of the soil).

What’s more, organisers made a point of asking participants not to overload their plates and bin good food. All the food that was not served was carefully parcelled up at the end of the day by the catering company and taken for distribution at homeless shelters and a women’s refuge.

Despite all these achievements, Ms Cermakova is still looking for ways to be even more sustainable and environmentally aware at future events.

“There are still some things I think we could have done better,” said Ms Cermakova, smiling at the challenge. “In future, I’d like to really bring down the amount of packaging waste we generate, especially the plastics.”