Explore these strategies for sustainable meetings
Sustainability is a growth industry.
Thanks to innovative people and expanding technologies, there continue to be new ways to decrease a meeting’s negative impact on the environment, which gives meeting planners more opportunities to expand their sustainability efforts. Here are some sustainable meeting strategies you might want to consider.
Practice the three Rs
It can be fun to come up with new ways to achieve the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. A good place to start? Signage for annual events that’s designed so it can be reused year after year, produced from as many recycled materials as possible. Technology continues to make it easier to use less paper. As your audience trends younger, paper agendas, brochures and seminar handouts can go by the wayside. Recycling paper and plastic is admirable, and many organizations now look for other ways to reuse and recycle, for example, by collecting items like lanyards, name badge holders and unused pens or notepads at the end of a conference so they can be used at future meetings. How about decor? Can plants or other decorations be rented from a garden center? After the event, things like floral arrangements can be donated to senior centers, churches, homeless shelters and schools. Habitat for Humanity, with resale stores across the country, will take most home goods and building materials off your hands.
Seek sustainable venues
Convention centers and hotels that are serious about sustainable practices are likely to be striving for or have successfully achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. New venues, as well as existing ones that have been upgraded or expanded, can achieve LEED. And it is not a certification attained only by venues in the biggest cities. For example, the Knoxville Convention Center in Tennessee and the recently renovated Sharonville Convention Center 15 miles north of Cincinnati have achieved LEED certification for existing buildings. All the major hotel chains, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt and Intercontinental Group, have sustainability programs and are targeting goals to reduce energy use, conserve water, increase recycling, cut waste and use more local products without sacrificing the guest experience. They have upped composting and recycling efforts, switched to LED and other efficient lighting, shifted to full-size bath amenities, and employed technology like room sensors and smart showers.
Consider different destinations
The meeting destination you choose can also have an impact on sustainability. Among transportation options, air travel creates, by far, the most carbon emissions. Would it be possible to plan conventions and conferences in cities where more attendees could drive or, better yet, travel by train? Having several regional conferences instead of one large convention is one way to make that work. Choosing to meet at conference hotels or convention centers located in downtowns that have adjacent entertainment districts also makes it possible for attendees to walk or take public transit instead of driving their cars for after-hours dining and fun. There are plenty of options, like the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, with its adjacent hotels and, within a couple of blocks, an ever-growing number of local restaurants and bars in restored storefronts. The city also has an inexpensive public shuttle system that motors around Covington and Newport and over the Ohio River to Cincinnati.
Evaluate the plate
One significant way to be more sustainable is to lean harder on vegan and vegetarian dishes. Studies show plant-based foods produce half as many carbon emissions as animal-based foods. There are other advantages, too, including lower costs, fewer allergy issues and wider acceptance among various faith communities and world cultures.
There are some do’s and don’ts about serving more vegan and vegetarian dishes. Planners say it is best to make them the first offerings in the buffet line because people choose plant-based dishes more often when they are placed there. Also, use appetizing descriptions. “Asparagus lemon rotini” definitely has more appeal than “vegan pasta.”
Making the shift away from traditional meat and potatoes is usually best done gradually, with the understanding that it can be difficult to change diners’ expectations. For example, GreenBiz, which does sustainability conferences, has made a big shift to plant-based entrees but does serve cheese or white meat on the side.
Restyle the swag
Much of the swag at conventions is cheap, plastic, manufactured abroad and ultimately destined for the mounting pile of donations at the local Goodwill. Yet, swag remains. With a little thought and perhaps some advice from the local CVB, meaningful attendee gifts can be sourced locally — think whoopie pies for gatherings in Pennsylvania Dutch Country or DeBrand Fine Chocolates, a hometown favorite in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Third-party supplier Marco Ideas Unlimited helps companies find local, Made in USA products near their meeting locations, which benefits small businesses and cuts down on shipping. Packed with Purpose sources quality gifts from small businesses, women- and minority-owned companies, and mission-driven organizations. Other options? Consider donations in attendees’ honor to a cause that resonates with your group or offer attendees a choice of several gifts — so they can get something they want or need — and have the gifts shipped directly to their homes.
