By the end of 2009 the Convention Industry Council (CIC) will be launching a new set of standards for green events. Not since 2004, when the first set of guidelines and best practices (PDF)  were developed by the CIC, has there been this much discussion about greening the meetings industry. A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment – and the meetings industry is a dramatic offender in this area – second only to the construction industry.

Therefore it is no surprise that over 200 volunteers have been working for almost two years on the new CIC guidelines and standards, which are launching at a critical juncture. According to Event Marketer Magazine, “the market for Green Solutions is expected to nearly double in the next 12-18 months.”  In concert with this movement, the CIC has joined forces with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and The Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) to develop a minimum standard to qualify an event or supplier of that event as “green”.

What’s Covered in the New Guidelines
The goal of the new guidelines is to give meeting stakeholders and planners a framework for purchasing decisions. This framework is not built in absolutes, but in defines levels of acceptability, performance and a clear path to improvement if levels are unacceptable. The new guidelines cover nine areas common to both meetings and tradeshows:

• Accommodation
• Audio/Visual and Production
• Communication
• Destinations
• Exhibits
• Food & Beverage
• Meeting Venue
• On-Site Offices
• Transportation

For those interested in seeing the current specifications in progress (currently open for review and feedback) there is a forum available online at http://wp.apexsolution.org/.

Why Be Green?
According to the CIC, “planning and executing a green meeting isn’t just about being environmentally responsible, they can have economic benefits for the event organizer. In fact, many of the minimum recommended guidelines in the Green Meetings Report can actually save money. For example, collecting name badge holders for reuse at an event of 1300 attendees can save approximately $975 for the event organizer.” While this may seem minor, there are endless lists of ways to reduce waste AND investment in events – and they are scalable to the size of the event.

There is also no limit to the leverage a company can gain from a green event in the eyes of its employees, constituents and customers. For example, according to Meeting Strategies Worldwide, “If a five-day event serves 2200 people breaks, breakfasts, lunches and receptions using china instead of plastic disposables, it prevents 1,890 lbs. of plastic from going into a landfill. Another example is by not pre-filling water glasses at banquet tables during three days of served lunches for 2200 attendees; 520 gallons of water can be saved.”

Get Ahead of the Curve
While the meetings industry has recently jumped into the issues of sustainability practices, parent corporations have been struggling to find effective ways to comply for years. On October 8th The WOW Factory will host an interactive video webcast on green meetings, featuring Roxane Peyser, CEO/President, maurgood LLC. Roxane’s specialty is developing highly-effective corporate responsibility practices and sustainability strategies for companies and organizations. In addition to specializing in environmental sustainability, she has specific expertise in climate change and carbon reduction strategies. This one-hour session will explore how to turn meetings and tradeshows green — and how it is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Attendees will be encouraged to explore cost-savings from greening a meeting, and how to leverage green meetings and sustainable strategies into growing their brands.