GREEN MEETING PRACTICES
There are many diverse ways to “green a meeting.” Here are a couple suggested “green meeting” practices. Many web resources are available, such as this U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency/ site.
Communication/Registration:
- Consider offering Carbon Offset programs to attendees to offset their travel.
- Ask that attendees return badge holders at the end of the conference.
- Provide convenient and accessible locations for drop off.
- Eliminate or reduce paper used for conference agendas and/or programs.
- Offer materials on-line or on a disk. Communicate and encourage this practice with presenters.
- Print double-sided and use post-consumer content paper with vegetable or soy ink.
- Use water fill stations instead of plastic bottles.
- Use environmentally efficient office equipment on-site.
- Encourage and/or implement recycling and/or composting within the meeting venue.
- Serve buffet style meals, rather than individually boxed lunches.
- Request that venues not place Head Table water at podiums. Instead encourage speakers to bring own water bottles.
Transportation:
- Choose venues centrally located next to hotels and restaurant.
- Choose venues accessible by, and encourage, public transportation.
- If bussing for attendees is required, ask that shuttle companies adhere to idling ordinance.
- Provide directions to events using various public transportation and bicycle routes.
- Choose local vendors for products when possible to minimize transport and shipping impact.
- Ask vendors to utilize local inventories and partners.