Nancy J. Wilson, principal, Meeting Strategies Worldwide

While once thought to be fringe behavior, holding environmentally responsible meetings and events is now going mainstream and required for any organization in the sustainability industry.   Conference attendees are judging an organization’s environmental commitment by the amount of waste they see at a meeting: tons of paper handouts, plastic or Styrofoam service ware, or no recycling bins.  And they are asking, how deep is the organization’s commitment?

Many of you may understand the merits – economic and environmental – of producing “green meetings.”  You may even be incorporating green practices in your meeting management such as requesting recycling at your events, using more technology versus paper for brochures, registering onlne and requesting organic/local food.  But are your practices consistent from meeting to meeting?  Have you developed or implemented strategies and guidelines to consistently green your meetings?  Do you measure your results to track improvements and economic savings?  Are your attendees/clients asking for more environmentally responsible practices, but you’re not sure how to begin?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, read on to learn how to implement a five-step solution to green practices.  The five steps include establishing commitment, developing guidelines, communicating objectives, negotiating practices and measuring results.

Establish your organizations commitment.  The first step of establishing your organization’s commitment to greening is crucial to how successful your efforts will be.  Begin by understanding how greening your meetings will fit into your company or client’s mission and values. 

You may find your company’s values a persuasive tool in establishing a commitment to incorporate green practices in your meetings.  Once there is a commitment, ensure you have support to do so.   Next develop a greening plan to show how you intend to implement environmental practices.  Sometimes the best way is to start with one or two new practices with the intention of building on your success.