As part of the University of Oxford and the Ashmolean Museum, the event team is committed to reducing our environmental impact by following, and encouraging, sustainable best practices, and supporting the University in achieving its net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain, by 2035.
We are proud to have been awarded accreditation from the Sustainable Wedding Alliance (March 2023), an alliance of businesses with the shared purpose of creating more sustainable and environmentally conscious weddings and events.
Whether you would like to consider a low carbon footprint menu, guidance on guest travel or recommendations of environmentally conscious suppliers, we invite you to collaborate with us in making your event, gathering or celebration kinder to the planet.
The Sustainable Wedding Alliance accreditation process enabled us, as a team, to develop a policy, set out our goals, establish a pathway towards more environmentally conscious decision making and to engage with interested parties, including suppliers, partners, leaders in the industry and clients.
Working together with partners and clients, here are some of the changes we have begun to make:
Delicious low carbon menu choices; our talented chefs have developed creative and inspiring plant-based, low carbon and vegetarian dishes, using seasonal and local ingredients where possible.
Reducing waste; our knowledgeable team can advise you on ways to reduce catered event food and horticultural waste
Reducing single-use plastic in our private hire events.
Improving our energy efficiency; we are switching to energy-saving lightbulbs and use technology to zone our lighting for private venue hire.
Responsible sourcing; we use Rainforest Alliance certified coffee, MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) approved fish and UK Red Tractor meat, sourcing locally and seasonally where possible.
We are challenging ourselves to think, act and advocate environmentally sustainable decision making. Our venue hire team have all pledged to undertake Carbon Literacy Training to increase our knowledge and enable us to more confidently discuss positive initiatives with you.
We understand that there is more to learn and that this is an ongoing journey. We will continue to build on the changes we're making and review our goals.
FULFILLING OUR COMMITMENT
We wholeheartedly believe that events can be kinder to the planet without compromising on style or quality.
From our long-term ambition to achieve net zero carbon, to the smaller actions we take on a day-to-day basis, we are doing our very best to evaluate and improve our practices, one step at a time.
