yes, you can have eco-friendly conferences

It seems like large conferences, conventions, trade shows, expos, even large company meetings are unavoidable. Worse, they can generate tons of trash. Just think about how many plastic water bottles you used the last time you sat at an all-day event! Now multiply that by the hundreds of thousands and you have an idea of the amount of waste generated by the all those events.

Today, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts announced a new program “Meet and Be Green” to help event planners create an eco-friendly meeting, instead of a massive trash generating opportunity. In exchange for making a commitment to a green conference, the event will get a discount off their bill.

But Hyatt isn’t leaving event planners holding the bag, they’ve trained staff to help source eco-friendly products, find local suppliers, and reduce waste in general. According to Hyatt, the ten-steps to a “Meet and Be Green” event are:

1. Recycle during the meeting
2. Use products with 100% recycled content
3. Print materials locally
4. Minimize shipping
5. Rather than setting materials at every seat, place meeting materials, such as handouts, notepads, pens, etc., in a central location so attendees can take as needed
6. Maintain room temperatures at an appropriate level
7. Eliminate disposable water bottles
8. Minimize use of other disposable products such as plates, cups, napkins, and utensils
9. Select locally grown seasonal foods when planning the menu
10. Plan ahead for the meeting to make it easier and more economical to keep the meeting green

Of course, if you’re an attendee, we’d like to encourage you to do your part too. Bring your own aluminum water bottle, carpool, don’t take more food than you will eat, and be sure to recycle everything that you can. And if you’re an exhibitor, don’t overlook having an eco-friendly trade show booth.

What do you think can be done to make conventions, trade shows, and other large conferences more eco-friendly gatherings?

photo credit: ComSec / Flickr

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