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Out of Africa... Preparing for the Future of Green Meetings With Amy Spatrisano

"I grew up in Africa, but I was unprepared for what it would be like to return there 29 years later," said Amy Spatrisano, founder and president of the Green Meeting Industry Council. She arrived in San Francisco on June 12 fresh from her visit to give the keynote address at The Green Event Summit, where she waxed poetic about her experiences and outlined a stirring call to action for event planners and suppliers alike.

            Highlighting the game hunter’s Big Five (the five most difficult animals to hunt: the cape buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard and lion), Spatrisano asked the audience “are you prepared?” to meet the challenges facing the green meetings movement. Here are some of her insights about what the future will bring and the creatures who inspired them:

• The Cape Buffalo is an indicator species and the disappearance of its natural habitat is a sign of environmental degradation. In looking head, it’s not just enough to have environmentally friendly meetings, but to have truly healthy meetings that are restorative to both people and planet. 
• The Elephant is one of the most community-oriented animals on earth and inspires us to keep the human connection in every event we do. That means providing opportunities for community service and paying attention to issues such as labor and human rights in our personal and professional choices.
• The Rhino stands for authenticity, that is “walking the talk” of corporate social responsibility and reaping the benefits from doing so. It also is a caution not to lose authentic human connection by substituting technology for face-to-face interaction.
• The Leopard symbolizes credibility and cautions us to guard against making unsubstantiated claims or falling prey to greenwashing. In order to maintain trust, we must communicate openly, and honestly, be transparent and be ready to substantiate our environmental claims. 
• The Lion’s regal bearing inspires us to take the time to measure what we do and establish a standard for green meetings.

Spatrisano went on to describe the standard setting process taking place under the auspices of APEX with the involvement of The Green Meeting Industry Council, USEPA, ASTM and the English standard setting group BS 8910.  Watch our newsletter and blog for more updates on this important process.

Standards and Certification Watch: What is “Green” for the Meeting Industry?

“What is Green?” is an ongoing question for anyone involved in promoting sustainability, whether in businesses, building, cleaning, schools, farms or community services. The wide variation in types, sizes and complexity of events makes measuring “greenness” a particularly thorny question in the events and exhibiting arena.

Up to this point, most green meeting advocates have relied on the minimum guidelines and best practices outlined by the Conventions Industry Council’s 2004 Green Meeting Report, as well as on the numerous voluntary guidelines and certification programs developed by nonprofits, state and local government and industry associations. (The various existing guidelines and programs are compiled in The Green Events Source Book, which can be accessed through our website at www.greeneventsource.com). Nonetheless, there is still no simple way to measure whether a particular event has achieved a threshold that means it is “truly green.”

Now meetings industry leaders are embarking on the process of answering that question by developing a comprehensive standard leading to certification. Under the auspices of the CIC’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX), the Green Meeting Industry Council, USEPA, ASTM and BSI 8901 are working together to produce a first draft of a standard by August 2008. A steering committee of 10 members representing the leading industry associations, consultants and suppliers are charged with generating content and getting feedback. Subcommittees are being established in eight key areas identified in the original CIC report (Destination Selection, Accommodations, Meeting Venue, Exhibits, Food & Beverage, Transportation, Communication, and Onsite office). The process is open and names are being sought for participation. Interested individuals can contact amy@meetingstrategiesworldwide.com to submit a name.

Green Events Source is involved and will be reporting on proceedings as they become public and including updated information in the second edition of The Green Events Source Book due out in January 2009. If you have specific questions or concerns about the standard or issue you would like us to address in this newsletter and other communications, please email editor@greeneventsource.com