Our commitment to environmentally sustainable events

Building on our long-time commitment to inspiring life-long learners and encouraging children to appreciate nature, we have set ambitious, yet achievable goals aimed at reducing our carbon footprint, resource consumption, and waste generation—all to be carried out transparently and publicly in order to model environmentally sustainable practices. Read about our goals in our 5-year Sustainability Plan.

Here are some of the ways we are minimizing the environmental impact of Discovery Gala:

A 100% solar-powered event!

Our 326kW solar array over our parking lot generates 100% of the Museum’s electricity needs on site, with the excess sold to other non-profit organizations at a discount.

Eco-friendly postcard invitation

We consolidated the traditional save-the-date and multi-piece invitation into one postcard digitally printed on 100% recycled stock by an eco-friendly, carbon-neutral printer.

Catering to the climate

The sustainability efforts of our caterer, Calla Catering, include:

  • Following the Discovery Museum’s sustainability practices by composting onsite any foods that are not suitable for donation and/or spoiled leftovers
  • Recycling bar refuse after the event
  • Reducing food waste by calculating the correct amount of food to make for the event to avoid excessive waste without running out of food for guests
  • Packing up leftover food for the client, staff, and/or donating it to people in need
  • Partnering with local farms for local, fresh, and sustainably-grown ingredient
  • Reducing waste from single-use plastic disposable products by using china and flatware, or biodegradeable bamboo products
  • Making their commissary as energy efficient as possible by switching to all LED lights, investing in energy saving appliances, and recycling frying oil
  • Following the Sustainable Catering: Small Business Guide by the Green Business Bureau.

Carbon offsets for all Gala guests

Discovery Museum will purchase carbon credits to offset the vehicle emissions of all Gala guests, staff, and vendors.