Here I was thinking that everyone was jumping on the green bandwagon, but according to a recent Meetings Industry Megasite poll, the majority of respondents said that making meetings environmentally friendly “is not a concern to me.”
Another 26% said they “do not seek out suppliers based on environmental initiatives but will partake if they have protocols to help meetings consume less and/or recycle more.”
I so get this. Meeting and event planners, more than anyone else on the planet (excuse the generalization) are under immense pressure to do more with their programs for less money. Unless the corporation or client has an environmental policy in place that is a true priority, it is difficult to add expenses to the budget that won’t produce a tangible ROI for the event.
With that said, there are many indications that the event industry is engineering sustainable green practices when bringing people together.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a site dedicated to green meetings, including a list of initiatives taking place now.
- The Green Meeting Industry Council strives to integrate environmental responsibility into return on investment analysis to promote more sustainable practices.
- The Convention Industry Council has a page dedicated to green meetings on their website and a report you can download and peruse.
- The Wikipedia even has a page on Green Conventions.
- Draper Inc, an AV supplier and window shade manufacturer, will be hosting an education session at InfoComm entitled A/V in Green Buildings: What You Need to Know
The internets, of course, are chock full of great information about the BABY STEPS you can take to be greenish – if not totally green at your next meeting. How about you? Are you going green?
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