Living For a New Age

As a student attending the Living For a New Age event in April, I had no idea how beneficial this event was going to be. 

A little back story on what this event was, Living For a New Age is a meeting where multiple companies, eco-leaders, environmentalists, and changemakers come together to discuss their business ideas, what they’re implementing, and changing to complete one common goal, making our world a greener and cleaner place to live. ​

​Attending this event as a GreenLight Solutions event service assistant, I had one thing in mind: to do my job. GreenLight Solutions has cultivated a dynamic corps of volunteers, aptly named the F.U.N. community, dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of public events. Their efforts encompass meticulous trash collection, segregation, and recycling initiatives, guaranteeing events to be near zero waste footprint. This proactive approach by GreenLight Solutions and the F.U.N. community contributes significantly to reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainable practices in event planning and execution. This holistic approach not only preserves cleanliness but also underscores the vital role of environmental stewardship in event management. 

As a part of this event service, I realized how interesting this event actually was because every business had sustainability in their minds leading me to get carried away by their panel. 

Imagine this: big, impactful companies and industry leaders are giving a panel on greener urban areas with architecture, water, electricity, and living strategies that they're implementing in their projects. This starts to get interesting to someone who is here to simply sort trash. Not only were there urban planners, but technology companies with goals to make charging stations accessible and collect data to analyze and encourage different behaviors for a net zero future. The panel was very enlightening, not only because every company was focusing on change but hearing these companies working on certain projects to make the world greener while also making a business out of it made this panel very interesting for me. 

From the occasional "that goes in the trash", to sorting the bins, I found myself networking with many people at the event by accident. Meeting representatives from various companies with unique goals and aspirations to people like me, a student with a general curiosity about sustainability. This volunteering opportunity quickly became a networking heaven.

At the end of the event, we gathered the landfill, recyclable, and compostable materials with gloves and trash-picking sticks. Thanks to our efforts, there was an 86% Diversion Rate through composting and recycling. This impact is equivalent to charging 3,800 smartphones or driving 147 miles.  

Once the event concluded, I couldn't help but reflect on the powerful energy that filled my mind. Living For a New Age wasn't just a conference, it was changing the world. Seeing businesses, nonprofits, and passionate individuals networking with different companies, and discussing plans for a greater cause. This event was well-rounded making it super beneficial.
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The journey towards a sustainable future is ongoing, whether you are a CEO, employee, or volunteer sorting through trash at a local nonprofit , or simply as someone who cares a lot about the planet, remember that every action counts. Let's keep making an impact, pushing our boundaries, and inspiring change to make our goal for a greener future successful in every sector. 
Stay green, stay inspired, and most importantly stay productive toward sustainability. The future of sustainability isn't just bright, it's Arizona's summer bright.

Thank you to our sponsors
Green Living Magazine:  Dorie Morales, Danielle Coletto, Korine Harris
R.City:  J.D. Hill & Bill Kingman   
Mill:  Shy Sayadi & Harry Tannenbaum
Keep Phoenix Beautiful: Jhenifer Shipe & Terry Gellenbeck

Thank you to our volunteers
Collins Carrington 
Borislav Ignatov
Ashley Weisman
Ty Cowie 

​Author
​Ty Cowie 
Ty Cowie is a freshman attending Arizona State University studying Manufacturing Engineering. Ty is a Green Event Service Assistant with GreenLight Solution with the purpose of trying to be a part of something that is impactful to the community and to learn what it takes to run a non-profit. Ty is interested in the environment and sustainability on how to change current world problems.

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