24. The Sustainable Conference
27m | Sep 15, 2026We talk about sustainability at conferences. We put it on the agenda. We feature it in the program notes. And then we hand everyone a single-use coffee cup, fill the goodie bag with things nobody asked for and call it a day. This episode is an honest look at the gap between what hospitality and tourism conferences say about sustainability and what they actually do and what organisers and attendees can do differently.
From starting the venue conversation early and rethinking the coffee station, to the psychology of free things, food waste that's costing Australia $36.6 billion a year, and why putting sustainability in its own session means most GMs will choose the revenue panel instead.
This episode also covers the attendee side so that you can show up at a conference without running yourself into the ground, why protecting your energy is a sustainability practice, and why the friend who turned up late every morning taught me something many years later.
Two Homes is for leaders who know that lasting performance, for people and planet, starts from the inside out. Two homes: the one we inhabit within, and the one we all share.
Intro and outro music: Brooks, Kai Engel
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Show Notes:
Food waste in Australia:
Food waste costs Australia approximately $36.6 billion per year and is responsible for around 3% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions. Around 16% of food waste comes from the hospitality sector.
Source: End Food Waste Australia https://www.endfoodwasteaustralia.org
Carbon emissions baseline assessment for events:
The GHG Protocol provides methodology for calculating event emissions:
Reusable cup programs for events and venues:
Cup lending and washing systems are increasingly available for events search for reusable cup schemes in your city as local operators vary by region.
No Vacancy Expo Sydney 23 and 24 September 2026:
No Vacancy Bangkok 24 and 25 November 2026:
Related Two Homes episodes:
Episode 5 - Change the Default, Change the Outcome
Episode 14 - The Greenwash Dilemma
Episode 23 - The Sustainable Traveller
