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Tread More Lightly on the Planet: Advice for Meeting Planners
By Adam Hardiman | July 28, 2010
Planning a sustainable event is about doing more with less, said Andrew Walker, Toronto-based founder and managing director of Eco-Efficient Events, who led participants in an interactive Tuesday morning session at MPI’s 2010 World Education Congress.
Participants discussed strategies for reducing the carbon footprint of the meetings industry, which has a reputation for unsustainable practices. Walker quoted environmental leader David Suzuki, who said the meetings industry leaves a heavy footprint on the planet.
“Planners can either try to lighten each footprint or try to reduce the number of footprints,” Suzuki said.
“Although we know [climate change] is a social issue and an environmental issue, it’s also a business issue,” Walker said.
He invited participants to identify areas of their work that could benefit from reducing carbon emissions. Energy, travel, waste and shipping were named as four key areas. Hiring local speakers, for example, can cut travel costs and reduce carbon emissions, while composting food reduces waste on site.
While most participants expressed interest in these and other initiatives to reduce their carbon footprints, they said their clients posed the most significant barriers to implementing green strategies.
“This is the biggest challenge we’re having on CSR (corporate social responsibility) with our clients,” a participant said. “Some are terrific, and others don’t care.”
Agreeing that not all clients are green, Walker highlighted the importance of communication and educational strategies to get reluctant clients on board with sustainable planning.
To get started with measuring and reducing a meeting’s carbon footprint, Walker recommended the online Zero Footprint Calculator, which can help planners set green goals and educate clients on why carbon emissions matter.
Topics: Carbon Footprint, Corporate Social Responsibility, Green Meetings, Meeting Professionals International, News Capsules |