What's new in green or sustainable meetings? I find it interesting how frequently I am asked this question. We are so trained to look for the new, fresh, latest trends in everything we do. Anxious to be done with the last part, check it off our list and move on to something more exciting.It might [...]
Standing in line, I dutifully shuffle toward the long metal tables. As I get closer, I remove my shoes, then my coat. I empty everything else into a plastic bowl. My computer comes out of the bag and into a bin. I have no plastic bottles of liquids.I step into a large metal machine and [...]
As evidenced at the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference last month, measurement and reporting of environmental impact has finally taken hold. Presentations were no longer about educating participants on why measure, instead they included real-life statistics and information proving the value of green meetings. Yes (fist pump)!Venues, hotels and meeting organizers are validating their environmental and [...]
Just like the old "fern bars" of my early days when, "What's your sign?" was a frequently asked question, the newest version of this opening line for sustainable planners may be about your venue's diversion rate. You know, the amount of waste diverted from the landfill during/after an event.If you can't answer at least 40%, [...]
The Austin Convention Center is the first convention center in Texas to be awarded the LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings. They also have the stats to back up their green meeting initiatives:diverting 66 percent of all waste from landfillcomposting 250,000 pounds of organic waste in 2011reducing its carbon footprint by 93 percent since 2007reducing [...]
Today's headline from Environmental Leader says it all. If you read the article you find the data to back up this claim. Here's the story in financial and environmental savings: LightStay, the sustainability measurement system used by Hilton Worldwide and its portfolio of 10 hotel brands, has saved the company more than $74 million since [...]
Want to tell your sustainability story? Put it in a photo, picture, image or anything to help we humans visualize. This is an excellent example by Katie Sweetman found in the article on EcoCentric.com about the production of beef and its water footprint.It is also fun to get creative and bring a little levity into [...]
Here it is, time to attend GMIC's Sustainable Meetings Conference. As our participation has shifted this year, it will be interesting to see it from a new perspective. I look forward to having more time to reconnect with my fellow professionals who share my passion about this work.Since we have a great group of like-minded [...]
The moment we have been waiting for...the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 2009 report of the US municipal solid waste stream (MSW). In 2009, the US generated 243 million tons of solid waste, down from 251 million tons in 2008. Of this, 82 million tons were recycled, representing a recycling rate of 33.8%. [...]
Since Oracle OpenWorld turned its attention to event sustainability in 2007, the progress has been impressive. Here's an example of what they have accomplished:Enabled re-investment of $1.3 million in event elements through waste-cutting actionsDiverted enough trash from landfill to fill 37 garbage trucksAvoided emissions equivalent to taking 190 cars off the road for a yearConserved [...]
