From dishwashing liquid to new cars to international governmental agreements, green is the color everyone wants.
Which means, of course, that green has become a marketing tool. While the recent urge to tout greenness is certainly applicable to the hospitality industry, the greening of hotels and resorts has been going on for years. It began with small acts, mostly recycling or reducing water use (such as those "Save the Earth, reuse your towel" cards). But now, as Stephanie Pollack, founder of consulting group Creative Facilitations, says, "It has moved beyond the psyche of 'reduce, reuse, recycle' into a psyche of sustainability."
With hordes of travelers attending the thousands of meetings and conventions held each year, the meetings industry is in a position to reduce its environmental impact on a truly meaningful scale. Several recent high-visibility events, including the Olympics and the Democratic and Republican national conventions, implemented green practices by attempting to conserve resources and use more environmentally sensitive products — right down to biodegradable balloons and recycled confetti. Many in the hospitality industry are finding that there is a growing market for green meetings, and a growing population demanding that at least the very basic conservation practices be met.
Of course, companies with the environment as their core mission have been on board with green meetings for a long time; it's only lately that groups from a wide range of sectors, from technology to real estate, have caught on to the idea. Many are responding to regulations from local and regional governments, or to corporate imperatives to tighten meeting spending.
Amy Spatrisano, principal of Meeting Strategies Worldwide, current chair of the APEX Green Meetings & Event Practices Panel, and co-author (with business partner Nancy Wilson) of the definitive guidebook to green meetings, Simple Steps to Green Meetings and Events: The Professional's Guide to Saving Money and the Earth, says industry awareness about green meetings has increased dramatically. Having produced green meetings for more than eight years, she notes, "Only in the last two years has this been any sort of trend at all." The primary impetus, she says, is the phenomenon of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, events like Hurricane Katrina, and "green" issues of major magazines, but Spatrisano also thinks that once the business case was made for sustainable practices, many Fortune 500 companies jumped on board — note her book's subtitle.
Because eco-friendly is by definition less resource-intensive, going green can reduce the significant financial resources meetings normally require. Simple practices — like using pitchers of water rather than cases of bottled water — can provide considerable savings. Moving communications to the electronic sphere reduces not only paper usage, but the amount of money and time required to design, print, and mail invitations, registration forms, brochures, and thank-you notes. Over the course of a multiday session, using hotels close to the convention site can eliminate the need for shuttle buses, which not only dump carbon into the atmosphere, but also are a tremendous expense.
Whether they go green for altruistic or financial motives, it's undeniable that companies can benefit from letting their new shade be known. Greening demonstrates corporate responsibility, opens up niche markets, and — yes — presents glowing opportunities for marketing. The Event Marketing Institute's 2008 Green Event Imperative Report revealed that 43 percent of companies surveyed have already incorporated green initiatives into their marketing mix; another 40 percent plan to within the next 12 to 18 months.
Motivations aside, what constitutes a green meeting? Fundamentally, a green meeting should incorporate environmental considerations throughout, from pre-event decisions such as facility selection, transportation, and accommodations, through the post-event stage such as waste management and food disposal. However, with very little regulation as to what can be called a green meeting, what you get with one green meeting may be very different from what you get with another. The Convention Industry Council, through its Accepted Practices Exchange Commission, recently launched an initiative in partnership with standards-development company ASTM International to establish best practices that suppliers and planners alike can use to create more environmentally responsible events. For now, companies and organizations are learning as they go along.
Many in the meetings industry think conference facilities should lead the green practice, and that planners and caterers should support those facilities' environmentally friendly choices through their patronage. Several facilities have taken notice of that sentiment and made significant changes in their operations.
Keystone Conference Center — the largest conference venue in the Colorado Rocky Mountains — has made a commitment to the environment by introducing clean energy technology. The center is powered by 100 percent renewable wind energy and boasts an energy-efficient lighting system, a composting program that reuses more than 12 tons of kitchen prep waste per year, and recycling efforts that diverted more than 127 tons of material in 2006. Keystone serves fresh organic and sustainable produce to its guests, and carryout meals at the center are served in reusable mesh bags to eliminate waste from cardboard and paper.
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels has led the hospitality industry in practicing sustainability at its boutique properties throughout North America. It was the first hotel company to introduce in-room recycling bins brand-wide, and to make phone books available in rooms only by request. Kimpton also uses eco-friendly cleaning products and low-flow water conservation systems, and works with a charitable partner, The Trust for Public Land, to preserve parks. The company offers several charitable incentives for meeting planners as well, including donation of unused amenities, foods, and beverages, and event attendee donation programs.
Hospitality giant Marriott is building on an aggressive environmental strategy by adding new elements to green its meetings. As one of the EPA's Climate Leaders, the chain made a commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by 40,000 tons annually and to reducing its carbon footprint by one million tons by 2010. Some of Marriott's energy-saving programs include retrofitting existing hotels, seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for new hotels, and implementing features such as two-flush toilets, solar-panel roofs, and fluorescent lighting.
For meeting planners who are unsure where to begin, several consulting firms are experienced at taking over the greening of meetings, and an ever-growing number of online resources offer the tools and advice necessary to plan and promote sustainable events. Books like Spatrisano's often include guidelines on marketing, venues, lodging, transportation, and foods and beverages. Once a plan is in place, the venue's event coordinator can be of tremendous help, offering site-specific solutions to help meet company goals.
Though there may not be a mass green-meeting movement yet, the nod to the environment in meeting planning is growing. Changes big and small, year after year, will make a difference in the health of our planet and the organizations we work for.
