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The many ‘R’s of being green (reduce, reuse, recycle …)

May 24, 2013 by Paul Salinger Leave a Comment

By 2025 there will be an estimated 9 billion people on the planet. All will be consumers of goods, energy, food and resources.

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: meeting green, meeting sustainability, Meeting Sustainably, recycle, reduce, reuse

IMEX in 2013: An eco-tale of two cities

May 9, 2013 by Amy Spatrisano, CMP Leave a Comment

Is it feasible to expect a U.S. show to meet the same sustainability level as Germany? A case study.

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: green meetings, imex america, imex frankfurt, meeting green, Meeting Sustainably, sustainability

IMEX America positively green over 2012 stats

March 28, 2013 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

As IMEX America looks toward its third annual gathering in Las Vegas in October, organizers are reviewing sustainability numbers from the 2012 event — and feeling pretty good. One of their goals was to balance trade-show growth with event quality and environmental responsibility. Audited results from MeetGreen show strong performance in several key areas. Some […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: clean the world, imex america, las vegas conventions, meetgreen.com, meeting green, Meeting Sustainably, opportunity village, statistics, sustainability, the shade tree

AH&LA signs on with Clean the World

March 19, 2013 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) members can now receive an exclusive 5 percent discount per room by recycling soap and shampoo. The discount comes from a new partnership between AH&LA and Clean the World, a nonprofit that collects and recycles used soap and bottled amenities from more than 1,700 hotels in North America. Since […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: ahla, clean the world, hotel recycling, Meeting Sustainably

Econo Lodge first in class to mandate green program

March 12, 2013 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

Every Econo Lodge hotel in this United States will turn green this year, the first national economy hotel chain to do so. They will be implement the Choice Hotels Room to Be Green (RTBG) program, which is designed to reduce environmental impact and waste, meet the changing expectations of today’s environmentally conscious guests and potentially […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: econo lodge, green hotels, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably, room to be green

Sustainable Meetings Conference goes ‘Method’ in April

January 29, 2013 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

When attendees at GMIC’s annual Sustainable Meetings Conference convene in Chicago in April, they’ll hear a keynote address from Method Products co-founder Eric Ryan. Ryan, a designer and marketer, teamed with boyhood friend Adam Lowry, a chemical engineer, in creating the San Francisco corporation known for its nontoxic, biodegradable natural cleaning supplies sold in minimalistic […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: carbon footprint, eric ryan, gmic, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably, method products, sustainable meetings conference

Yes, it’s still about ‘green’ meetings

January 28, 2013 by Paul Salinger Leave a Comment

We need action more than words at this point.

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: carbon footprint, csr, green meetings, meeting planning, Meeting Sustainably, planning 101

Defining — and avoiding — greenwashing

October 29, 2012 by Nancy J. Zavada, CMP Leave a Comment

Greenwashing is the practice of “advertising positive environmental practices while acting in the opposite way.” It is bad.

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: ecolabels, green certifications, green practices, greenwashing, Meeting Sustainably

7 ways in which green-meetings standards are like dating

October 23, 2012 by Amy Spatrisano, CMP

It’s surprising how much green-meetings standards relate to everyday life. Here are some examples.

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: apex standards for green meetings, carbon footprint, green meetings, iso 20121 event management standards, Meeting Sustainably

With ReLeaf, it’s easy to go green

October 23, 2012 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

American Forests is making it easier for your event to go green in a fast and fairly affordable way. Sign up for its Meeting ReLeaf program and the nonprofit will plant a tree in honor of every attendee at your event as part of a U.S. forest restoration project. Meeting ReLeaf is open to any […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: american forestes, carbon footprint, green meetings and events, Meeting ReLeaf, Meeting Sustainably, plant trees

Virginia resort for Salamander 1 year away

August 14, 2012 by Plan Your Meetings Leave a Comment

A 168-room Salamander Resort & Spa in Middleburg, Va., is 65 percent complete and on target to open in August 2013, company officials say. To celebrate its progress, resort owner Sheila C. Johnson, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, recently held a reception that spotlighted eight state wineries. The resort will feature 12,000 […]

Filed Under: Meeting industry news Tagged With: destinations, hotel openings, Meeting Sustainably, salamander resorts, virginia

Clean and green: One lifesaving and sustainable idea

December 3, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

As I travel to different trade shows and conferences speaking on “Green Initiatives,” I am both proud and disappointed by much of what is happening. Yes, all of the exposure and emphasis that has been put on being more socially responsible and sustainable is sinking in. And, much progress is being made to better our […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: clean the world, csr, csr initiatives, green hotels, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably

Corporate Social Responsibility and event planning

November 23, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP Leave a Comment

Incorporating Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) into your meetings and events is how you move beyond greening your function and start making your program affect the sustainability of the company, the community and planet. A CSR program allows your event program, and by association your client or company, to leave a legacy in the host community. […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: corporate social responsibility, csr, csr initiatives, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably

Sustainability 101

November 17, 2010 by Kevin R. Johnston, CMP Leave a Comment

We are all aware of how much emphasis has been put on being more eco-friendly. As a kid, I heard about ecology. Now, I hear about “greener meetings,” and sustainable practices are much more at the forefront of our industry. You may want to do your part, but not know how to even begin to […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably Tagged With: best practices, green meetings, how to plan, Meeting Sustainably, sustainability

Engaging your attendees to go green

November 2, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP Leave a Comment

I started my career in green events through attendee engagement. I was working on a martini festival in a county with a sheriff infamous for denying event permits for events with alcohol. As event organizers, we had concerns over the liability of promoting a drinking event and the potential risk of drunk drivers.  Knowing that […]

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, engaging the audience, green meetings, how to, Meeting Sustainably, planning green meetings

Gorgeous and green: sustainable event design

September 17, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP 1 Comment

What fun is going green if you can’t look great while doing it? Design makes its way into every type of event, whether it is the professional aesthetic of a corporate meeting or elaborate creations for high-end weddings. Adding eco-friendly practices to creating event ambiance is much like greening other aspects of your events. Start […]

Filed Under: Meeting and event design, Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, decor, event design, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably, sustainable decor

To give is to receive

July 22, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP Leave a Comment

Aside from food waste, decorations and promotional event items are among the most common products to end up in the trash after an event. However, with a bit of forethought, you can save these valuable items from landfill by donating them to nonprofit organizations. During the early stages of planning your meeting, start to look […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: charity, corporate, decor, donations, event, Meeting Sustainably, promotional items, recycle, reuse

Green transportation tips

June 18, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP Leave a Comment

I am currently working on a meeting in Las Vegas, Nev. — a destination where nearly all my attendees will be either flying or driving in for the event. Once they land, they will need transportation from the airport (and back again), to an offsite group trip, as well as options for exploring the city […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: green practices, how to, Meeting Sustainably, plan meetings, Transportation

Five cheap and easy tips for livestreaming conference content

March 23, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders 33 Comments

Five cheap and easy tips for livestreaming conference content

If you want to expand your meeting’s audience, you need to understand how livestreaming content works. Here are some tips to get you started.

Filed Under: Event technology Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, free online tools, green meetings, how to, livecasting, livestream, Meeting Sustainably, meeting technology, procaster, sustainable meetings, twebevent, ustream, webcast

How to include green requirements in RFPs

February 8, 2010 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

By now, most of you have seen the “Top 10 best green practices for meeting planners.” We know plastic bottles are bad, compostable or recyclable disposables are good, china is better, and to never, ever use styrofoam. However, after finally wrapping our heads around what we need to produce a sustainable meeting, we are now […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, best practices, green, green rfps, lindsay smith, meeting sustainability, Meeting Sustainably, rfp questions, sustainability

How to be truly green instead of a greenwasher

November 30, 2009 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

For many planners, one of the biggest hesitations to begin implementing green practices is not cost or desire, it is the fear of not doing enough, thereby not being considered green … but a greenwasher! What exactly is greenwashing? Wikipedia defines greenwashing as: “the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: communication, going green, green meetings, green sheen, greenwashing, lindsay smith, Meeting Sustainably, metrics, transparency

Hold a meeting, change the world

October 30, 2009 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

A couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Tim Sanders speak to a gathering of meeting professionals. “The only reason to have a meeting is to change the world,” he said. If anything, the media scrutiny of early 2009 has proved how the choices we make as meeting professionals can negatively impact […]

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, advocacy, csr, meeting planner education, Meeting Sustainably, social networking

Waste Management and You! REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE

October 5, 2009 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

A first step for many planners when they decide to implement sustainable practices is to develop a waste management plan. This is a logical start because not only is it highly visible, but waste is an area in which we have the greatest amount of influence. However, where and how to begin, and in what […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: apex standards for green meetings, green meetings, lindsay smith, Meeting Sustainably, waste management, waste reduction

APEX Standards: What are the objectives?

September 14, 2009 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

The industry has been abuzz with talks about the soon to be released APEX Green Meetings and Events Practice Standards. During the months of August and September, several City Discussion Groups were held to discuss the nine standards of meeting sustainably. The standards are a response to a much needed demand for consistency within the industry as to what constitutes a “green meeting.” The standards also act as a roadmap for planners and suppliers who wish to implement sustainable practices, but do not know where to begin…

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: apex standards for green meetings, green meetings, Meeting Sustainably, standards, what is a green meeting

Green meetings step No. 2: Educate clients and attendees

December 1, 2008 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

In my last column, we discussed different ways and benefits of obtaining a commitment to meeting green from association and company executives. This commitment is a necessary first step in order to get the support that is often needed to incorporate change into the way your meetings are planned. Once this is established by executives […]

Filed Under: Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, going green, green meetings, how to plan, Meeting Sustainably







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