NAPD Conference 2025 Sustainability Statement

NAPD acknowledges that any event will have an environmental impact but there are significant benefits in coming together for an in-person event that cannot be replicated with an online event. We are endeavouring to make Conference 2025 more environmentally responsible than our previous conferences as we learn more about how we can minimise our environmental impact whilst building on our shared conference experience. This is about progress, not perfection. Every step towards sustainability, no matter how small, has merit.

Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

― Maya Angelou


Conference Production

• The NAPD Conference 2025 programme, signage and schedules will be shared in digital format to limit single use printing. By digitising our conference brochure (now available via NAPD APP) we have made a saving of 64,000 glossy pages being printed.

• Attendees will receive a digital attendee bag, rather than a physical bag of leaflets / flyers / merchandise with the exception of a conference tote bag and reusable water bottle should you like to avail of these items.

• As much as possible, all NAPD Conference 2025 contracts and planning documents have been digitised to reduce wastepaper.

• We aim to use as few single-use materials as possible – for example any signage or pull-up banners will be generic for multiple uses or digital.

• Attendee lanyards are essential for networking and ensuring all attendees have checked in, but they will be collected and reused at the end of the event. (The name badges will also be recycled.)


Venue

Please have a read about the sustainability efforts being made by The Galmont Hotel. We encourage you to support these efforts as much as possible and to give feedback to the hotel on their efforts. 

(https://www.thegalmont.com/en/hotels-galway-accommodation/green-hospitality/) 

 

Catering

  • In order to reduce our carbon footprint, we will provide quality vegetarian menu options throughout the event and would encourage you to avail of these in favour of meat options. Vegan options and other dietary requirements will also be catered for, upon request.
  • Guest numbers for catering will be calculated as accurately as possible to eliminate surplus food.
  • All attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own reusable cup and/or water bottle to the event, as free refill stations will be available throughout the day. We will have reusable bottles should you wish to take one. By removing all single use plastic bottles of water we have eliminated 2,500 plastic bottles.
  • We will work to eliminate single use plastics used in the catering of the event.

Transport

All speakers, exhibitors and attendees are strongly encouraged to use public transport to attend the venue.


Exhibitors

We appreciate the active participation of our exhibitors who continue to enrich our conference experience. We ask that they limit the printing of materials by using digital platforms as much as possible, not to have gift bags or physical merchandise. 


Donate

Consider a donation to Green Sod Ireland based in Galway and whose mission it is to protect land and its biodiversity. (https://greensodireland.ie/)

 

Thank you for helping us to lower our environmental impact and increase our collective power as school leaders and change agents for a better world.