Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Overview
Green Meetings and Events are ways to conduct your activity within an environment that
has the least harmful impact possible. They incorporate the idea of sustainability and keeping
the world healthy for future generations. During this class we will learn about CSR and blended
values so that we can become successful Green people. We will learn about how previous
generations ideas changed over time and how we can look today at the business' ideas and make
it green to reflect the need of our environment. Change will be a focus and how we can help
create this change of sustainability and expand it in today's world. We will focus on many aspects
that are based on the Convention Industry Council Green Task Force guidelines for:
• Destination Selection,
• Accommodations,
• Meeting and Venue Selection,
• Transportation,
• Food and Beverage Selection,
• Exhibition Production,
• Communications and Marketing,
• On-Site office procedures
Sustainability is an active method that allows all people to recognize their abilities and
to advance their quality of life in ways that concurrently look after and improve the earth’s life
support structures. Currently many organizations are going through a transition to sustainable
development. That’s when what you are trying to accomplish meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations. This idea is important to have embedded
into the core culture of the said organization. When sustainable development is brought into the
corporate light, whether it is a small town organization or global one, it’s important that
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is considered. CSR is the voluntary dedication to take
principled action in corporate citizenship; to respect conscientiousness toward natural capital,
business capital and human capital. In other words a personable and environmental aim of the
company that is gainful to the organization.
When examining if a business encompasses the ideas in CSR you must look to the core
culture and examine them in regards to the 5 P’s: purpose, philosophy, priorities, practices
(internal and external) and projections. The purpose is the main reason as to why the
organization was created in the first place. It’s important to understand why they are here so you
can organize the avenues for incorporating CSR. Then the philosophy is the supreme value that
identifies the nature and persona of the organization. Different priorities are then formed from
the first 2 P’s. The priorities are different values that strategically direct how both the philosophy
and purpose of the organization are put into practice. When the priorities are put into practice
there are two areas to look for CSR, in the internal practices and in the external practices.
Internal practices encompass a variety of things including: internal communication and
technology, performance management, training and development, selection and relation to
employees and employee recruitment. With these in mind an organization should have in mind
the idea of a green team; employees within an organization that are familiar with the practices of
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the company. Like in any organization it is important to address their concerns and hear their
ideas so that the company can create a sense of empowerment and a feeling of ownership in the
company. The external practices of a corporation are just as important as the internal ones. They
include the procedures and services offered the customers, subcontractors, suppliers, vendors and
partners. Within the CSR model it’s vital to see that the corporation has partnered with
likeminded businesses that practice with similar priorities in mind. Last but not least one of the
most important parts of having a successful organization with CSR in mind would be the
projections or reflection of the group to the public. The projections of a group are the name, logo,
corporation symbols, and location of the headquarters or events, the appearance of offices, the
employee dress, marketing, public relations, community activities or any other representations of
the organization.
organizational skills that are up to date with culture. Everyone benefits when
implementing these green standards. The environment is saved, organizations save
money, people are empowered to change their lives and the world, and everyone
knows they can somehow make a difference.
Standards/Destinations
Destination Selection
When assessing the environmental features of a destination there are 3
things to consider:
1. What is the purpose of the event = this will determine the type of
location
2. Where are the attendees coming from = find a place that has the
lease amount of travel to for all
3. A location that has access to public transportation for meals and
outings of members of the event is important
The best way to find information about green suppliers is by simply
asking the convention and visitors bureau. You could also contact a
Destination Management Company for lists of groups that already include
environmental practice. It is of high value to choose a destination that either
already has green practices put into practice or is willing to execute them.
Example of Gambia
The video on Gambia demonstrated how people could choose the wrong or right
destinations. In the beginning all seemed well but it was brought to our attention
that some destinations for people’s vacation did not follow the idea of sustainability.
However the lady also told us how we could become more involved with the
surrounding area by leaving the hotel. A destination for an organizations event must
incorporate what she was saying about reaching beyond the hotel to benefit the
surrounding community.
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Waste Management
There are several things we can do to reduce the amount of trash that we create. One of
the best ways would be to simply reduce the amount of product you use and encourage your
counterparts to do the same. Next you can look at what it is you are using and see if you can
reuse any of it or switch to a similar product that is reusable. For example instead of using paper
plates you can use china wear and therefore be able to reuse them many times over so the paper
plates are diverted from the landfill. Then you also want to look at what of the items you can
recycle or recover. This may be cans, bottles, or paper products. Many things you may not be
able to recycle but you could put them in compost, such as many of the food products. Whatever
you have left over would be what would be disposed of in the landfills.
Managing What Materials are Discarded at your Special Event
1. Start planning well in advance
2. Work with local contacts (venue, haulers, local municipally, non-profits/volunteer)
3. Create a material management plan (establish greening policies & practices for the
organization & event)
4. Set goals and communicate with attendees & stockholders
5. Arrange for containers & signage for attendees (graphics help a lot)
6. Provide for the removal of waste from the site.
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Below is a description of what waste is disposed of that could be recycled in one way or another.
9. A master list of all items requiring waste stream management needs to be developed
that includes materials your event will generate. This will enable you to determine if a
processor is available for the products you select.
10. Use signage to inform your participants of your sound practices.
Onsite Practices
• Order reusable water bottles
• Apply generic logos
• Collect badge holders, bags, pens and donate to an organization or retain for future use
• Use china whenever possible
• Use plasma screen signage vs. printed
Additionally you can use something referred to as the Closed Loop Cycle through which
nothing ever goes to waste. The Closed Loop Cycle is a great way to divert waste from the
landfills. In this model whatever is produced or left over shall always be used in another section
of an organization. For example if a farmer were to grow a product, they would sell it at a
farmers market to hotels, restaurants, and conference centers. These groups create pre and post
consumer waste which is picked up by the Municipal Waste companies and brought to a compost
facility. There at the regulated compost facility the products degrade in 180 days and the facility
makes a four course compost. The four course compost is brought back to the farmers to fertilize
their crops. That’s where the loop starts all over again.
Composting
Composting leftover products is a great way to be able to stay sustainable with your
waste. However there are several different variations of composting.
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1. Compost: a diverse mixture of completely decayed organic matter used for fertilizing
and conditioning soil
2. Biodegradable: any material capable of being broken down by living things, like
microorganisms and bacteria, is biodegradable. There are no established standards for
biodegradable materials; it could take 10 or more years to degrade and still be in this
category
3. Compostable: a mixture of organic material that will totally degrade in a regulated
compost facility in 180 days or less
4. Regulated compost facility: properly aerated and temperature controlled to develop
microbial activities in order to provide an environment that organic waste will totally
degrade in 180 days
5. Organic waste: waste material which comes mainly from animal or plan sources;
organic waste generally can be consumed by bacteria and other small organisms.
When planning for composting you want to think about these definitions of different
compost types. It’s important to know what services for compost are offered in the area of your
event and to be able to plan for not having particular compost services. Also when looking at the
composting facilities you should find what their standards are for the compostable products and
what products they will actually take to compost. Many places are able to compost only specific
types of plastic or paper.
American Society of Testing and Materials
This group sets the standards for identifying products and materials that will compost
satisfactorily in commercial and municipal composting facilities. The Biodegradable Products
Institute (BPI) provides a third-party certification for businesses. They make sure that all
products are designed to disintegrate and biodegrade quickly and safely when composted in a
professionally managed facility. When looking at a product, you can tell if it was BPI certified if
it has the logo below on it…
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
The EPA has created a list of compostable items that they refer to as the “in list.” They
are listed below:
• Animal manure
• Cardboard rolls
• Clean paper
• Coffee grounds/filters
• Cotton rags
• Dryer and vacuum lint
• Eggshells
• Fireplace ashes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Grass clippings
• Hair/fur
• Hay/straw
• House plants
• Leaves
• Nutshells
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• Saw dust
• Shredded newspaper
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Wool rags
• Yard trimmings
The EPA also has an “out list” of all the products that are not able to be composted:
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs
• Coal or charcoal ash
• Dairy products
• Disease or insect-ridden plants
• Fats, grease, lard, oils
• Meat/fish bones and scraps
• Pet wastes
• Yard trimmings with pesticides
Accommodation Selection
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When selecting the hotel or conference center for your green meeting it is important to
make sure that they as your counterpart implement green practices also. Bringing your green
practices to them will hopefully help them realize the importance of going green in today’s
society. It will also help the surrounding community realize how pertinent it is and hopefully you
can inflict some change.
There are several practices that take place that can be made green. First you can make
sure that they have a linen and towel reuse program so that less energy and water is spent on
washing things that don't necessarily need to be. An In-room energy savings program would also
be good to have. This is where the employees shut the blinds; turn off the lights and heaters when
no one is occupying the room. Then there is the issue of all the soap and shampoo. It is best if the
employees do not give new ones every day and only do it when requested. Also it is always a
good idea to have a charity that you can donate the extra amenities. There is always one of the
most obvious ways to make sure your destination is green, having a recycling program. This
would be for cardboard, paper, metal, glass and plastics. It would be helpful to have in-room
places to recycle these objects besides just for the employees. Finally when it comes to checking
in and giving out information to your guests, the best route would be to go paperless with it all. If
you could have computers to check in on and get information out to the rooms via televisions or
other computers, this would be best.
After you have checked for all these things within your accommodations, it would be
beneficial to see if the property has been certified through a third-party organization or if they are
in the process of that with a management program and training for the staff members. After
everything within the hotel/conference center has been taken care of you should look beyond the
hotel. Look to those that they purchase from and check to make sure that everything they buy is
environmentally responsible.
Finally when everything seems to be in good shape you should conduct a site inspection.
Go around and check that all the recycling is taken care of and find where they hold it until it is
shipped off. When going around make sure you measure the environmental commitment the
organization has so that you can reference it later.
During this entire process you will also want to make sure that the environmental commitment is
included in the contract. Make sure that the amount of what it is you’re going to be doing is
included so that later you can reference it and make sure the accommodation keeps up their end
of the deal.
Sustainable Hotels
Here are 6 things that should be incorporated into a sustainable hotel:
1. You need commitment to sustainable practices from everyone in the company and need to
be able to measure the progress and difference your making. To do this the hotel should
have drown up a responsible business policy.
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When you are first discussing a contract with a potential venue selection, it is important
to include your requirements for green practices right off the bat. This way you don’t get things
set and have to rework the practices in. It would be wise to conduct a site inspection so you can
properly asses if the policies and practices in place are good enough for your event of if they
need more work. When talking with the personnel it would be a smart idea to include the food
and beverage, operation and cleaning managers to they understand the green practices that are
being implanted and need enforcement. Again it is always a good idea to track your green
practices and see how you improve over time.
Some key venue practice information you can ask about would be:
• Do they have environmental management program or have been certified?
• What kind of recycling program do they have and would they be willing to expand it if
needed?
• What are their energy conservation practices?
• Are there any water conservation practices implemented?
• What kind of conservation do they do in their restrooms? (Paper towels vs. hand dryers,
automated sinks? Environmentally friendly cleaning products?)
• When purchasing items, do they work with environmentally responsible businesses?
The Boston World Trade Center is a prime example of a Green Meeting Venue. There are
several examples that show how much the Center is committed to being green. Here are several
examples of programs and services they offer which are sustainable:
• The entire environment is smoke-free
• They also have begun to offer Allergy-Friendly
The Boston Rooms
World Trade Center is
• They use a special “ozone” gas in the laundry to help reduce the cycles and amount of
not the only place that is
electricity needed.
implementing these practices.
• They recycle paper, newspaper, plastic, glass, aluminum, and cardboard
Florida has also created the
• They eliminate their organic waste with a new BioX System in which it is converted to a
Green Lodging Program to
liquid
• They buy produce from local encourage hotels to go green. vendors and
have their own herb and vegetable “The voluntary state initiative garden
• The guests can reuse towels and provides the lodging industry linens to
create less laundry with free technical assistance,
• The kitchen recycles the cooking oil encouraging hotels and motels to to create
biodiesel fuel. adopt cost-saving "green"
• They now offer a Green Wedding practices that reduce waste, Package
where everything within the event is conserve natural resources and sustainable.
• At the center there are improve the bottom line.
complimentary bicycles for guests, Facilities can achieve up to three public
transportation nearby, and four levels of green within the Florida vehicles that
are available for use.
Green Lodging Program ranging
from One Palm to Three Palm
based on increased reductions in
waste, water and energy
consumption.” (Caroline, 2009)
Transportation
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When planning a green event it is important to consider the transportation aspect. That is,
how are your attendees going to travel around while at the event, or how are your supplies
getting to the event?
When working to have the attendees become more eco-friendly it’s good to communicate
information. Educate them about environmentally responsible transportation such as mass transit
or carpooling and provide information about the local transit that is available. If possible it would
be beneficial to provide a few bicycles onsite or transit passes with maps for attendees to use
during their stay. Additionally if you are providing on ground transportation, try to choose
shorter routes and minimize the size of the vehicle. When the vehicle is at a stop, see if the driver
can shut it off so that it will not idle for long periods of time. Also you can see if biodiesel fuel is
used or if they can switch to it (this would just require a change of the filter not anything else and
causes no harm to the vehicle). If none of these suggestions are available you can encourage
them to partake in purchasing carbon offsets. However this should be a last resort option.
Your transportation vendors are not left out of this group. Environmental criteria should
be included on the Request for proposal for the companies that will be used. Things like shipping
can become sustainable by making sure that there is the least amount of packaging needed and
recycling a lot of it. UPS is currently one of the only companies that offer shipping like this. In
regards to the CO2 that is put out by planes, consider switching to shipment by rail as this is
more environmentally friendly.
As previously mentioned, Carbon Offsets are available for purchase when you are
looking to be environmentally friendly. Carbon Offsets work by counterbalancing the CO2 put
into the air by vehicles and machinery. When purchasing one, you are contributing to either the
implementation of tree planting, solar panels, or wind farms. Purchasing these may contributing
to reducing the amount of carbon in the air, however it you are still contributing to that carbon
and if there is a way to not contribute in the first place, then there would be less of a problem to
have to solve.
Options
1000 people die each year because of the poor air quality due largely to the emissions
from transportation. That’s why this is an important thing to look at when trying to be sustainable
and put care into the environment. At the beginning of 2009 most vehicles in use were running
on Petroleum-based non-renewable fossil fuels, which are not only bad for the environment but
shall also eventually run out. London, along with 70 other cities in Europe, has created low
emission standards for different heavy transport vehicles. Additionally that legislation will carry
over to other vehicles in good time.
Another form of transportation that needs to be looked after is air travel. Boeing has been
creating engines for the 787 that will become 20% more fuel efficient than other planes that are
of a similar size. This will help save them gas as well as push other companies to follow suit to
keep up.
Eco Limo is a transportation service based in SF and the Bay Area that drive eco-friendly
cars to save their company money and do their part to help the environment. They run biodiesel
cars that contain biofuel that can be wither recycled from potato chip oil or straight from any
regular oil. Their diesel cars take is just like any other diesel car can. Additionally they run
hybrid cars which move off of both electricity and gas but get great mileage.
When looking to find ways to reduce your environmental footprint within the air there are
several options you have. There’s the cheep and best alternative: Man power of biking or
walking, but when it comes to driving there are also these options: hybrid, biodiesel, electric,
natural gas, fuel cell and bi-fuel.
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References
Chen, Steven (2007, September 13). What is a sustainable society? Sustainable Society USA,
Retrieved March 20, 2009, from
http://www.sustainablesocietyusa.com/html/SustainableSociety/20070913