As the sponsorship lead for this year’s inaugural Eco Fashion Week presented by AVEDA, I have been tasked with the challenge of building a sustainable sponsorship strategy with a sales focus exclusively on organizations that are committed to improving their environmentally efficiency.  Through this process, I have recognized some key strategies to share with you about sustainability, sponsorship and event execution.  First priority is to ensure the sponsors you are approaching have a sustainability mission or are working towards one – often found on the partners websites.  Sponsorship is a much a partnership, and if your two organizations don't share like minded goals, there is no point pursuing the relationship:

• Seek sponsorships that can help achieve event goals of low waste, ethical sourcing and sustainable operations
• Use green rating programs to help guide you to sustainably minded companies; for example the Green Key Eco-Rating Program recognizes hotels that are committed to improving their environmental performance. 
• Approach sponsorship from organizations with locally made, organic and regionally sourced products wherever possible.
• Partner with your local public transportation authorities to ensure there are sufficient and effective modes of public transportation to your venue, if your event is large enough they may put on additional busses to your venue.
• When sourcing your vendors, ensure that they are located in close proximity to the venue
• Minimize the traditional event waste as much as possible; print signage that can be used every year, focus on online marketing campaigns, ensure sponsors “giveaways” at your event are of value to the consumer
• Have a plastic bottle free event! Tap water instead of bottled water is cheaper and of course, greener!

Eco Fashion Week presented by AVEDA is pleased to welcome these sustainably minded partners on board for 2010!

AVEDA: When it comes to environmentally responsible make up, hair and body products, AVEDA has been paving the way since 1978.  AVEDA`s best practices include pure flower and plant ingredients in their products, responsible packaging that rewards consumers to recycle, campaign to end animal testing in the industry and an impressive environmental sustainability policy.  For more information: http://www.aveda.com/aboutaveda/esp.tmpl

SIGG: Metro Vancouver’s tap water is arguably some of the best drinking water in the world, and it costs you only about $0.0008 per litre.  A single-use one litre bottle of water can cost you as much as $1.75 a litre and will take hundreds of years to decompose.  EFW has partnered with SIGG Bottles to provide its guests with free water at the event...don`t forget your Sigg Bottle! For more information: http://www.sigg.com/siggnificance/simply-eco-logical/

Painted Turtle Wine:  Painted Turtle comes in a 100% Recyclable Wine bottle as well as a portion from the proceeds from every bottle is donated to the Habitat Conservation Trust Fund. For more information:  http://www.paintedturtlewine.com/greenInitiatives/index.html

Schramm Vodka:  Using locally grown Pemberton potatoes, Pemberton Distillery produces small batches of organic single malt whisky using organic malted barley from the Okanagan Valley and pure Coast Mountain water. For more information: http://pembertondistillery.ca/

For a list of all sponsors and supporters of the inaugural Eco Fashion Week, check out www.ecofashion-week.com/partners

For more information about Sponsorship and Eco Fashion Week, contact Bluebird Strategy