Pretentious Musings of a Meet Green Martyr

...and the dish ran away with the spork?

2010-03-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

My little neighborhood paper, The Hollywood Star News" ran an article this month asking local residents to donate gently-used flatware to the schools. It seems, "Schools went to the seemily more efficient mode of handing out plastic "sporks" (wrapped in plastic) with a devastating effect on the environment--56,100 plastic spork packages are thrown away each school year at Alameda Elementary School alone!"

The school wants to change this system back to the olden days when reusable metal flatware and trays graced the cafeteria. The community is pitching in. I had no idea plastic sporks had become common place in elementary school--my kids are in their 20's--but in our throwaway society we train them young.

Perhaps this would be a great project your community too for local hotels, caterers, and meeting venues ridding themselves of flatware no longer living up to the "brand image."

Testing Our Intelligence

2010-03-11T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ecologicial Intelligence. A fascinating study captured in Daniel Coleman's book of the same name. Goleman talks about how our "society has lost touch with what may be the singular sensibility crucial to our survival as a species." He goes on to say, "Ecological intellgence melds cognitive skills with empathy for all life. We display such empathy whenever we feel distress at the sign of "pain" of the planet or resolve to make things better." We need to tap into this intelligence in order to survive.

Goleman boils down our possible ecological goals to three simple rules:

1. Know your impacts
2. Favor improvements
3. Share what you learn

Simple and elegant rules to live by.

They Never Have To Take Their Shoes Off

2010-03-08T14:55:00.000-08:00

Shipping is a terrible thing to do to vegetables. They probably get jet-lagged, just like people.

~Elizabeth Berry

Tweet Deal

2010-03-02T10:52:00.000-08:00

Want to see how your viral networks are functioning AND boost registration numbers for your next event at the same time? Here's an idea from one of our registration gurus, Cija...

"Use Twitter to send out a tweet from your organization offering a registration discount to the conference valid or the next 36 hours only. The offer is available from that exact moment but won't last. Tell them to register right now and send it on to their colleagues as time is ticking away. If you have the option of using coupon codes in your registration system, you might also give a prize for the person referring the most registrants during that time frame."

Give it a try. What do you have to lose?

Personal Best

2010-02-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

It feels good to stand on the podium and enjoy a moment of recognition. Even if it is about waste. The GMIC' Sustainable Meetings Conference, Colorado Convention Center, MeetGreen, and conference participants deserve a round of applause for a 97% diversion rate during this month's conference. A personal best for all involved I believe.

The judges scores are in with 12% of the waste generated going to recycling and 85% to the compost bin. A mere 3% went to the landfill.

Congratulations!

Enough Already!

2010-02-23T15:03:00.001-08:00

Alright, I know you are tired of hearing about water bottle savings. Bear with me...during GMIC we were able to track the cost of using sponsored water bottles and water stations instead of individual bottled water so I wanted to show you the actual results.

GMIC participants used eleven 5-gallon jugs, which is the equivalent of 7,040 ounces at a cost of $634.38.

For the same water consumption in 16 ounce bottles it would have been 440 bottles x $4.58 inclusive or $2,015.20. Resulting in a savings of $1380.82 for a conference of 225 people or just over $6 a person.

HOWEVER – this means that by filling up their own water bottles we provided, the average water consumption was the equivalent of only two bottled waters per person over three days. If individual bottles had been available, our experience has been that attendees would have taken more than one bottle each day. So if each attendee had taken just one bottle each day the total could have been as high as 675 bottles or $3,091.50.

A sponsorship opportunity and a cost savings. Case closed...I promise!

You Should Have Been There

2010-02-15T09:13:00.000-08:00

For those of you who weren't able to attend the Sustainable Meetings Conference last week, here is a great recap by Glenn Hasek of Green Lodging News! http://www.greenlodgingnews.com/Content.aspx?id=4382

Green Event Tip of the Week #9

2010-02-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

When the shoe is on the other foot and your organization is considering sponsoring a meeting or event, remember your good reputation is on the line. You will probably want to ask a few questions of the event organizers.

Our resident sponsorship expert, Mary Peters, has put together a quick list of questions you should be asking about green practices before opening your wallet

1) Do the organizers have sustainable policies? What are they?

2) Is the event being planned using green meeting guidelines?

3) Are the results of these efforts being measured?

4) Is the event being audited by a third-party?

5) Have the organizers calculated the carbon footprint?

6) What have they done to minimize the footprint?

7) How do they plan to measure and report on the environmental savings?

8) Will the media be alerted?

Spend your sponsorship dollars wisely!

Pushing the Envelope

2010-02-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

Paul Salinger, Oracle, talks about sustainability and events on the large scale of Oracle OpenWorld in the February 2010 issue of Smart Meetings. http://smartmeetings.com/articles/an-insider-s-look-at-event-sustainability

"Some of the event’s notable accomplishments include:
-Diverting an estimated 140 tons of material from landfill.
-Sourcing 60% of food items from within a 100 mile radius of San Francisco.
-Reducing ground shuttles by 30% of peak usage, reducing emissions by 18,000 lbs of carbon dioxide and fuel use by 800 gallons.
-Total energy use and emissions avoided through purchasing decisions amounted to 1,146,130 mega joules and 120,073 lbs of CO2.
-This is enough energy to power 12 American homes per year, and the emissions
equivalent of removing 11 cars from the road for a full year.
-5% of signs were reused from 2008 and 37% of signs used in 2009 will be reusable for future events.
-A net cost savings of $800,000 through reduction and reuse."

Now that doesn't happen without the commitment of many vendors, suppliers and hard working Oracle staff. And in the article, Paul gives credit to all who rightfully deserve it. But, having worked on this project, I know without the passion, values and commitment of Paul Salinger it wouldn't have been possible. His leadership and enthusiasm not only enroll you, but make you want to join him on the journey where he is always asking the team, "How can we take this to a higher level? What's next? How can this improve our organization globally?"

Thanks, Paul, you inspire us!

The Gift of Giving

2010-02-03T09:19:00.000-08:00

Barbara Scofidio, Editor of Corporate Meetings & Incentives, is passionate about giving back to the community. She has started a microsite that's a resource for planners who want to incorporate giving back into their meetings and incentives. To say it has lots of useful ideas, tips, how to’s, case studies, is a vast understatement. This is the "go to", one-stop shop with loads of links to the resources and experts to help you along the way. http://meetingsnet.com/give-back/

The power of an individual--fueled by passion--strikes again. Thanks, Barbara!

Meet Me in Denver!

2010-02-01T11:38:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to seeing many of you in Denver next week at the Sustainable Meetings Conference http://www.sustainablemeetingsconference.com/

If you haven't registered yet, it isn't too late. Registration numbers are up and we are looking forward to a thought-provoking, enlightening and fun conference. Lots of learning too (the Leader's Track has given us homework so we can jump right in).

Make sure you say hello and let me know your thoughts on my pretentious musings--I am always interested in learning what I should cover!

Taxing Trash

2010-01-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

Another glamorous day in the life of a green meeting planning team! When the UUA General Assembly planning team went to Minneapolis on a site, they didn't stop at the typical "wine and dining front of the house" experience. Oh no, they were thorough and even went on a tour of the Waste Management "Recycle America" plant. I am always harping about how important it is to make sure the recycling effort is actually happening and this group really did their homework.

While on the tour they learned in Minnesota there's an incentive to recycle. It seems Minnesota has state and county taxation of trash which heavilyy incentivizes recycling. In fact in some counties, commercial customers pay up to 53% tax on non-recyclables!! The base residential rate is 9.75%.

Now there is a business case for green meeting practices!

To See What Condition Our Condition Is In

2010-01-19T13:22:00.000-08:00

As we begin 2010 it is time to assess what is happening in business and in meetings. How are businesses connecting people? Are sustainability and green meeting practices still relevant? What have we learned and what are we learning? All questions we ask ourselves.

We share with you our thoughts in the 2010 State of the Industry Report http://www.meetgreen.com/files/2010_MeetGreen_StateofIndustry.pdf

We welcome all comments and discussion!

How Much is That in Elephants?

2010-01-18T16:55:00.000-08:00

It is always easier for we humans to understand how big, small, heavy, etc. things are if given a visual. So we were trying to do just that to help Oracle OpenWorld better express the impact of avoiding the use of one million plastic bottles in 2008 and 2009.

Our own Shawna Mckinley, Data Poet of MeetGreen, determined that one million empty plastic water bottles weigh approximately 15 metric tonnes. And 15 tonnes can be compared to the weight of:

· 9 VW beetles
· 15 dairy cows
· 210 humans
· 2 elephants

While I am having great fun with this blog post, it is a good reminder that converting our efforts to visuals to tell the story does really help. Other examples is to talk about paper savings in trees instead of pounds of paper or saving greenhouse gases by the amount of cars it would take off the road. You get the picture!

Reason to Believe

2010-01-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

or at least attend. The Green Meeting Industry Council's Sustainable Meetings Conference will take place in Denver, CO February 9-11, 2010. Here are the top 10 reasons why this is a must-attend event...

10. Green Strategies Save Money: Green meeting specialists know how to save money onsite - by cutting waste, working with local suppliers, and proving that the "eco" in eco-efficiency is about economy as well as ecology.

9. Earning Customer Loyalty: A sustainable meeting builds customer loyalty, showing participants that their organization cares about the bigger picture-even in hard times.

8. Improving the Onsite Experience: The skills and knowledge behind a sustainable meeting can help you create a smarter, more interactive learning experience for participants.

7. Competitive Advantage for Vendors: Hoteliers and other vendors who demonstrate green knowledge and performance gain competitive advantage in an economy where any advantage is crucial to the bottom line.

6. Measuring the Bottom Line: Green performance metrics can only succeed environmentally if they pay off financially. So green measurement is a great way to assess the return your organization receives from its meetings investment.

5. Managing and Mitigating Risk: Leading organizations like Oracle, The Gap, the American Institute of Architects, and the U.S. Green Building Council know that greening is the "right" thing to do. But it also mitigates risk. For top associations and Fortune 500 businesses, sustainable meetings are a great way to demonstrate good citizenship and corporate social responsibility (CSR).

4. Striking the Balance: Meeting professionals have been struggling to find a balance between live and virtual meetings and to cope with the mounting challenges surrounding air travel. The 2010 Sustainable Meetings Conference is a place to explore solutions that keep the participant experience front and center.

3. Learning the Standard: The program for the 2010 Sustainable Meetings Conference is built around the green meetings standard that will soon be released by the U.S. Accepted Practices Commission (APEX). Learning the practicalities of this detailed new standard will be an advantage for every organization that participates in the conference.

2. Building a Network: The annual Sustainable Meetings Conference draws a network of senior, experienced meeting professionals who've built their green checklists into strategic action plans that support their companies' core values and objectives. Attending the conference is the first step in making these thought leaders and decision-makers a part of your network.

1. Building Momentum: This conference is about getting green done! On the first day, the Future Leaders' Forum and the Leaders' Track will both deliver action goals for the year ahead. At the closing roundtable, GMIC will invite leading meeting experts and association leaders to discuss next steps for building a sustainable industry.For more information, visit www.sustainablemeetingsconference.com.

Bragging Rights

2010-01-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

The Meet Green Forum has a thread asking members to brag about their "Biggest Green Accomplishment of 2009." This post came from one of our team members (which I guess makes it extra bragging rights for me). I actually chose to share it though because it is an excellent example of one meeting manager's experience in changing to a more sustainable product. Thanks, Britta!

"I championed getting one of our clients to switch over to a more sustainable name badge holder. For the badge holder, we chose the EcoEndure Biodegradable Polypropylene badge, which is biodegradable, compostable, and recyclable. It was made of a lighter-weight plastic that was perfect for a short lived event. And--bonus--it was much cheaper than our usual badge that was made of recycled polypropylene!

There are so many "green" options out there for these products, it's really a matter of striking a balance of what will work best for attendees and what is best for the earth.

The 1000 attendees loved the holders (they were printed lightly with the words “Recyclable, Biodegradable, and Recyclable) and many of them commented that they were glad to see we had chosen a more sustainable option. They held up well through the course of the conference, and they ended up saving the client money. I’d call
that a green success!"

Feel free to join the forum and brag too!

Scuttle the Shuttle

2010-01-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

Nearly everyone made the New Year's resolution to "get more exercise." I say, we conference planners, help them along the way!

More and more of the conferences we manage have either eliminated shuttle service or increased the distance participants walk to the meeting site from their hotel. I have shared some of the creative ways to do this and now I want to share another more excellent idea.

The Endocrine Society held their Annual Meeting in Washington DC and skipped the shuttles in favor of the city's public transportation system and walkability. We are talking 9,000 attendees and exhibitors staying in 25 hotels. The result--"nary a complaint" according to the November, 2009, article in PCMA CONVENE. This saved their conference budget "six figures" and probably helped the figures (at least the health) of their conference community. Well done!

Read all about it http://www.pcma.org/Convene/Issue_Archives/November_2009/Innovative_Meetings.htm

2010: Changing Direction?

2009-12-30T13:56:00.001-08:00

"When the wind changes direction,

there are those who build walls

and those who build windmills."

Chinese Proverb

Happy New Year to each of you!

You Say You Want a Resolution....well, you know...

2009-12-29T13:15:00.000-08:00

...we all want to change the world!

It is new year and a new decade, seems like a great opportunity to make some change. Here are a few resolutions to get you started.

Repeat after me, "I resolve to..."

1. Set up a Green Team for my organization’s meetings and events. That's right--I don’t have to do it all alone.
2. Have recycling stations at every meeting and measure the amount of waste diverted from the landfill. I will let key stakeholders what has been accomplished.
3. Order seafood only from sustainable fisheries. No more farmed salmon for my guests.
4. Include green clauses in all of my contracts with venues, hotels, caterers and transportation companies.
5. Hold virtual meetings when I don’t really need to travel to accomplish the same task.
6. Look for ways to hold face-to-face meetings that will keep my participants healthier e.g. serve fresh and local food, networking time outdoors, or schedule time for exercise.
7. Not serve any food on disposable service ware.
8. Join an organization such as the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) or attend a conference to learn more about sustainable practices from colleagues.
9. Choose a venue close to hotels, restaurants and entertainment so participants can walk instead of take shuttles.
10. Ask caterers to serve beverages in bulk instead of individually packaged such water, juices and even soft drinks--like iced tea and lemonade in pitchers for a refreshing/inexpensive afternoon break.
11. Thank the housekeeper for not replacing my towels and sheets everyday when I travel.
12. Mentor someone just starting out in green meetings.
13. Donate all the leftover food to a food bank.
14. Ask all my vendors for their environmental policies.
15. Look for destinations that already have green vendors and venues in place to make my job easier.
16. Not print the date on my signage so it can be reused for the next event.
17. Always ask for fair-trade coffee.
18. Keep track of the financial savings for all of the green practices and become a hero in my boss’ eyes.

There you go. Pick just one or five or all of them for 2010! They are much easier to accomplish than your resolution to give up chocolate and start exercising!

Green Event Tip of the Week #8

2009-12-22T09:33:00.000-08:00

Probably the hardest tip of all...

Remember it is a journey!

Our project team gathered this week to talk about the conferences we mangaged during 2009. What worked and what didn't. While client evaluations are high, we are probably much harder on ourselves during this process.

For instance, we have a new reporting system on our office wiki which worked but needs some refinement. We are learning a lot more about communicating with each other as our team is now virtual in five different locations and a variety of time zones. And even though our green meeting practices increased during the past year, there are still areas we need to focus on.

We have noticed a trend with green meeting practices for organizations pick off the "low hanging fruit" and get comfortable there. It is easy to do and we see it in our own work. One of our project managers said, "It is time to remind ourselves yet again that it is indeed a journey. We have accomplished so much, now it is time to move to the next level. What can we strive for in 2010?"

Remember IT IS a journey...what is your next step?

Take Your Green to the Bank

2009-12-14T17:08:00.000-08:00

What's better than a holiday bonus for me? (well almost)...the findings from a recent survey of 131 meeting professionals by Meeting & Conventions Magazine (October 2009 issue). Even in these economic times, 51% said, "Green meetings have become more important."

Why have they become important? Perhaps another survey question answered that--22% said "On the whole, green initiatives have saved their organization money." Another 37% said they hadn't seen the savings yet, but projected that they would. Are we finally turning the corner on dispelling this myth that green meetings have to cost more?

Twenty-four percent "do not implement any green policies that add to our costs." I agree. But I also look at the budget as a whole. For example, if organic produce costs a little more but I can make that up by serving bulk beverages instead individually packaged, my F&B budget is still either cost neutral or a cost savings.

Hoteliers looking for clients? 56% of these professionals now inquire about green initiatives on RFPs and another 15% plan to in the next year. Be ready!

Green Event Tip of the Week #7

2009-12-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

It really is the green tip of the week--and red too! The holiday season is upon us. When planning your holiday events, don't forget to incorporate the same sustainable practices you use when planning your corporate events.

Serve guests on china instead of disposable plates and use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins. Isn't it much more elegant anyway?

Buy local food for your meals. The winter season may make this more difficult depending on your location--especially for local produce--but check other items too. We recently had fabulous meal where most of the items came from within 100 miles, except the pasta. For some reason, it had traveled 6,200 miles. I am just saying...check the package.

Serve beverages from pitchers or large containers instead of individual bottles.

Get creative with wrapping paper by reusing other fun paper. Or be like my friends in Guadalajara and buy beautiful boxes that can be reused year after year. Everyone exchanges gifts this way in their community.

Give handmade gifts or those made by indigenous people. Recycled gifts have also become acceptable but make sure it is a gift worth regifting (no more hand lotion gift packs, please).

Use LED lights for lighting up your celebration. They will save money in the long run. While you are at it, put them on a timer too!

I bet you have a few tips of your own to add too!

Right Foot...Left Foot...Step Back...Step Forward

2009-12-09T12:19:00.001-08:00

As I watch my fellow humans gather in Copenhagen this week to take on climate change as a global community, I am hopeful. As we struggle our way towards a more sustainable future, I am reminded of a line from a song,

"Even if you don't know all the steps, you must learn to join the dance."

Green Team Ahead by 10

2009-12-07T16:25:00.000-08:00

Last week I talked about green teams in my blog post. No sooner had the ink dried (wait, that doesn't work anymore) than a helpful report produced by Green Impact came out about green teams. Outlining the 10 best practices for bringing all your employees on board with your company's sustainability projects it focuses on cost savings by integrating energy efficiency into the workplace and products and services; attracting and retaining the best and brightest talent who want to work for companies with an authentic green commitment; and increased market share and revenues resulting from a stronger brand and new, innovative green products and services.

Here is the link to the executive summary and download on GreenBiz.com http://www.greenbiz.com/research/report/2009/12/03/green-teams-engaging-employees-sustainability

A Sign of the Times

2009-12-07T11:19:00.000-08:00

I have talked a lot about the reuse of signage and how important it is. Traditionally this means donating the signs to schools or theatre for other projects. Here's one I hadn't thought of...

The Final Night Party during SuperComputing '09 at Portland's Performing Arts Center had several different areas for food and beverage. The planning committee came up with the idea of naming these areas after prestigious colleagues one of them being the "Ken Kennedy Pub" and the signs were made. This pub served microbrews and a variety of wonderful food. Folks had a great time with the name.

During the event, several people from Ken Kennedy's university, Rice, asked if they could have the signs after the event. They thought it would be cool if they could be hung somewhere at Rice - they knew Ken would have loved that. So off they went. We just learned that one sign is destined for the Rice grad student bar and the other will find a home somewhere in the Ken Kennedy Institute (http://k2i.rice.edu/, founded by Ken as the Computer and Information Technology Institute in the late '80s).

Now that is reuse at it's finest!