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The Convention Industry Council’s Green Meetings Task Force was charged with creating minimum best practices for event organizers and suppliers to use as guidelines for implementing policies of sustainability. The task force was composed of individuals from the EPA, the Ocean’s Blue Foundation, the Society of Incentive Travel Executive’s Green Meeting Group, the World Travel Organization, hotels, convention and visitors bureaus, convention centers, and meeting-planning organizations. For more information, visit the Convention Industry Council online at www.conventionindustry.org.
 Destination Selection
Minimum Best Practices:
 Consider destinations compatible with the event’s purpose and the demographics of the attendees. When choosing a destination requiring extensive attendee travel, consider using carbon offset programs.
Use a list of environmental criteria or the Destination Selection Questionnaire (found at http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/DestinationSelection.cfm) with each Request for Proposals (RFP). The questionnaire is a helpful tool to use in gaining information about a destination’s environmental practices.
Ask the destination’s convention and visitors bureau (CVB) and local destination management companies (DMCs) to recommend venues and suppliers that have environmental practices in place.
Inform vendors/suppliers of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental practices.
Include a clause in the contract with the vendor/property that states their commitment to comply with the event organizer’s environmental requests. See a sample “environmental preference clause” to use in a destination selection Request for Proposals (RFP) at: http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/Documents/Preference_
Clause_Destinations.doc.
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
Consider cities with mass transit systems that connect major venues with each other and with major transportation hubs (i.e., airports, train stations).
Consider off-site events and tours that involve event attendees in the area’s natural environment with minimal impact.
Accommodations Selection
Minimum Best Practices:
Inform vendors/suppliers of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental practices. For a checklist to assist in determining accommodation’s environmental practices download the Green Hotel Initiative’s Best Practice Survey from the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) at http://www.ceres.org/our_work/ghi/bps_survey.pdf.
Include a clause in the contract with the vendor/property that states their commitment to comply with the event organizer’s environmental requests.
Consider venues willing to offer as a minimum the following services (include the list in the environmental requests section of the event contract):
− Recycling program includes paper, metal, glass and plastic products.
− Staff is instructed to shut blinds, turn off lights, and turn down the heat/air conditioning when rooms are vacant.
− Guestrooms have dispensers for soaps, shampoos and lotions, or the venue donates un-used portions of amenities to charity.
− A linen and towel reuse program is in place. Place cards in guest rooms offering guests the option to use linens/towels again. Housekeeping staff are fully trained to follow guests’ wishes.
If applicable, see the Event Venues and Food & Beverage sections for additional minimum best practices.
Event Venue Selection
Minimum Best Practices:
Inform vendors/suppliers of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental practices. If no literature is available from the property, ask for any current plan that will lead to such policies/practices to be presented in writing. Or, have the venue complete a ‘venue checklist’ to detail their environmental performance (http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/Documents/Venue_
Selection_Questionnaire.doc).
Include a clause in the contract with the vendor/property that states their commitment to comply with the event organizer’s environmental requests.
Consider venues willing to offer as a minimum the following services (include them in the environmental requests section of your contract):
− Recycling program includes paper, metal, glass and plastic products.
− Staff is instructed to shut blinds, turn off lights, and turn down the heat/air conditioning when rooms are vacant.
− Leftover food is donated to a food bank.
If using multiple facilities, look for locations where the hotel and event venue are within walking distance of each other.
If applicable, see the Accommodations and Food & Beverage sections for additional minimum best practices.
Transportation Selection
General
Minimum Best Practices:
Inform transportation companies of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental practices.
Include a clause in the contract with the transportation provider that states their commitment to comply with the event organizer’s environmental requests.
Alert attendees to environmentally preferable transportation choices such as mass transit and car-pooling for getting to their destination. Commuter trains and other mass transit systems are preferable to car travel.
Provide information about the local public transit system, and/or arrange for shuttles to transport attendees to and from the airport and the event venue.
Ground Transportation
Minimum Best Practices:
Ask providers if they follow environmentally responsible maintenance and recycle used oil, batteries, antifreeze and tires.
Ask providers if they train drivers to minimize idling and the use of air conditioners, especially when no passengers are in the vehicle.
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
Provide a public transit pass and map in attendees’ registration packets.
Ask providers if they offer fuel-efficient or alternative fuel vehicles.
Cruise Ships
Minimum Best Practices:
Consider cruise lines with active and ongoing environmental policies and practices.
Ask cruise lines if they have spill prevention plans.
Ask cruise lines if they have responsible waste management policies including no offshore dumping.
Ask cruise lines if they have shipboard recycling, waste minimization and water conservation.
See the Accommodations, Event Venues, and Food & Beverage sections for additional minimum best practices.
Air Transportation
Minimum Best Practices:
Ask airlines about their environmental practices and policies. Specifically, ask if they:
− use reusable or biodegradable service ware.
− collect recyclables used in flight and recycle them.
− use fuel-efficient and low-noise aircraft.
Food & Beverage
Minimum Best Practices:
Inform vendors/suppliers of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental purchasing and practices.
Include a clause in the contract with the caterer/vendor that states their commitment to comply with the event organizer’s environmental requests.
Include in the contract that the caterer/vendor do the following as a minimum:
− Uses reusable cutlery, dishware, linens and decorations. If disposables are unavoidable, make sure they can be composted and/or biodegradable products are used.
− Has condiments, beverages, and other food items provided in bulk instead of individually packaged and that any packaging is recyclable and recycled.
− Uses locally produced seasonal and/or organic food and beverages when possible (including fair trade18, shade grown coffee, tea, chocolate and cocoa19).
− Serves only environmentally friendly seafood and offers vegetarian meal selections. See www.mbayaq.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_regional.asp for a comprehensive and well-researched list of environmentally friendly seafood.
− Donates left-over food to a local food bank or soup kitchen, and composts or donates table scraps to farms where possible .
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
Have attendees ‘sign-up’ for meals on the registration form to indicate their intentions to attend specific meal functions throughout the event. Better attendance numbers will reduce food waste and costs.
Exhibition Production
Minimum Best Practices:
Inform exhibiting organizations of the event’s environmental strategies. Include a clause in the exhibitor agreement that states their commitment to comply with the event’s environmental requests.
Include a clause in the exhibitor agreement gaining their commitment to comply with the following:
− Minimizing the use of collateral materials, and, for any necessary materials, producing them on double-sided, post-consumer20 recycled paper with vegetable-based inks.
− Minimizing packaging and participating in recycling packaging when appropriate.
− Using recycled or consumable products as giveaways when possible and not using gift items made from endangered or threatened species.
− Attempting to use locally grown/made products.
− Providing materials via PDA downloads.
− Bringing only what they need for the event, and taking away what they don’t distribute at the event.
Inform facilities and decorators of the environmental strategies the event is considering and ask about their environmental practices
Include a clause in the agreement with the facility and/or decorator to:
− provide recycling for cardboard, pallets, paper, cans, plastic, glass and other recyclable materials that are generated.
− ensure clean-up crews are trained to keep recyclable and reusable items out of the garbage.
− choose decorations and display materials that can be reused and/or are made out of recycled materials.
If applicable, see the Event Venues and Food & Beverage sections for additional minimum best practices.
Communications & Marketing
Minimum Best Practices:
Ensure staff is informed of the event planning environmental strategies and initiatives.
Communicate the event’s “greening” initiatives to attendees, stakeholders and the media.
Reduce paper usage as much as possible by using the web and e-mail to promote the event, offering electronic registration, and providing the event itinerary and proceedings on-line (including speaker notes and handouts).
Convention Industry Council’s Green Meetings Report
March 17, 2004 ?? Page 13 of 14
Convention Industry Council’s Green Meetings Report
March 17, 2004 ?? Page 14 of 14
For materials that need to be printed, print on double-sided, post-consumer21 recycled paper using vegetable-based inks.
Reuse nametags made of recycled content and provide ‘reuse’ collection bins for them.
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
Request the hotel/venue provides Banquet Event Orders (BEO) and rooming lists electronically, in addition to providing electronic check in/check out services for attendees.
Reduce transportation emissions and support local economies by using local talent and products whenever possible.
General Office Procedures
Minimum Best Practices:
Establish detailed environmental policies and a strategy to implement them. Consistently communicate the policies in various ways to engage all employees, vendors and clients.
Encourage the use of low-impact transportation (i.e., walking, biking, mass transit) which reduces energy consumption and emissions.
Focus on cost-saving, energy-efficient efforts. These can include:
− Purchasing ENERGY STAR® products22 when replacing equipment
− Using laptops when possible (on average they use 10% less energy than desktop computers)
− Using LCD rather than CRT monitors
− Encouraging employees to turn off equipment and lighting, and turn down thermostats when leaving for extended periods of time
− Using inkjet printers rather than laser printers as they use less energy
− Considering equipment that can print on both sides of paper
− Considering multi-purpose office equipment (i.e., all-in-one fax, printer, scanner, copier). These generally require less energy and space than their individual counterparts
Shift written communications (i.e., rooming lists and layouts, event orders, settlement of accounts and other contractual documentation) to e-mail whenever possible.
When printing is required, use double-sided copies and post-consumer21 recycled content paper with soy-based ink.
Strongly Recommended Best Practices:
Minimize the use of costly new packing supplies by reusing boxes and packing materials.
Save directional, food and beverage and other generic signs for reuse.
Occasionally use regular mail, rather than bulk discounted mail, to ensure that mailing lists are valid which can reduce waste.
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