Overview of the MeetGreen® Calculator 2.0
The MeetGreen® Calculator is a comprehensive tool for benchmarking the sustainable elements of your events. At MeetGreen, we understand that greening events is a marathon, not a sprint, and using the Calculator will allow you to capture valuable information throughout the event planning process in order to make it easy to see your accomplishments and where improvements can be made. The tool assesses event management practices and measurable outcomes in 14 key categories to audit the environmental impact of conference activities. The Calculator integrates aspects of the ISO 20121 and Events Industry Council Sustainable Events Standards. From start to finish, we’ve got you covered.
The MeetGreen® Calculator measures whether specific practices related to air quality, waste management, water conservation, energy efficiency and environmental purchases were requested, available, and implemented as well as the final quantitative outcomes. Reports allow you to benchmark against previous years’ data, as well as compare against other events.
The MeetGreen Calculator 2.0 is new, improved, user friendly, and state-of-the-art.
We Meet You Where You Are
We believe everyone should be able to measure the green practices of an event and you shouldn’t have to be an expert to see how good your intentions look on paper. The most important lesson learned is that sustainability must be simplified to be successful. We considered every aspect and worked to make it easier to understand, initiate and record achievements.
The Calculator scoring is awarded in four levels: Change Agent, Champion, Leader, and Visionary.
- Change Agent – Asks for a minimum set of guidelines and engages key stakeholders in sustainable event discussions.
- Champion – Is driven to continuously improve on minimum guidelines, enrolls vendors in finding solutions for sustainability challenges, and
uses the role of sustainability in events to change participant’s daily lives. - Leader – Measures, tracks and reports on performance targets using key data. Shares best practices freely with others to continuously raise the bar as well as addresses global issues with solutions that are event-specific.
- Visionary – Leads within their own industry, prioritizes measurement and works to move the sustainability dial. Researches and develops new initiatives to improve environmental performance and uses the organization’s buying power to drive change with venues and vendors.
MeetGreen Calculator 2.0 has two options, Standard and Advanced. The Standard version provides a way for organizers to assess their event and benchmark their practices before taking additional steps. The Advanced version is a more in-depth look into the practices taken to track an event’s sustainability data.
The Standard Calculator includes beginner and early intermediate expectations for sustainable events. It assesses what can be considered minimum guidelines for the event industry using business-as-usual approaches. It has fewer questions and is easier to complete. It is designed for users who want to assess an early-stage sustainable event with a basic sustainability plan.
The Advanced Calculator assumes leadership and beyond-business-as-usual approaches are expected, or in place. It is designed for users who want to challenge themselves to improve in broader and deeper ways. As a result, it has higher expectations and more questions.
Scores in the Calculator are percentage based. This means they show what portion of eligible points for your event have been earned. In essence, there is a maximum number of points available in Standard and Advanced versions of the Calculator. This maximum point value will be adjusted down if certain sections or questions in the Calculator do not apply to your event and you opt to turn them off. You earn points for things you ask for and are able to successfully implement, up to the maximum available (100%).
The Theory Behind the Numbers
Based on MeetGreen’s unparalleled knowledge of sustainability in the meeting industry, the MeetGreen® Calculator is the most comprehensive green meeting measurement tool available on the market today.
It allows you to earn points for policies, procedures and measurements that are part of ISO 20121 and the APEX/ASTM Standards. We’ve expanded the tool to assess over 200 event management practices and measurable outcomes related to sustainability across the following fourteen key categories:
- Accommodations
- Agencies
- Audio Visual
- Carbon Offsets
- Catering
- CSR Project
- Destination
- Exhibit Contractors
- Exhibitors & Sponsors
- Marketing & Communications
- Measurement
- Onsite
- Transportation
- Venue
Assuming all sections of the survey apply to an event, the following breakdown of scoring weights across logistical areas applies. Note this weighting will vary depending on what logistics apply to each event.
Several of the reports included with the MeetGreen® Calculator show your conference data compared against other events. The other data represents diverse events, ranging from 200-60,000 attendees (both domestic and international), covering a variety of industries, which include varying degrees of environmentally responsible event practices and policies. The composite total score produced by the Calculator is created by calculating a total percentage score based on the total points possible within the Calculator.