‘Green Meeting’? Destination Matters

Posted on January 31, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

A new Yale study examines the environmental performance of 163 nations with some revealing results.  The Environmental Performance Index 2010 Top 5 positions are not a surprise but Costa Rica at #3? Well done!  Congratulations to Iceland, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Sweden and Norway whose collective efforts to observe environmental stewardship in a systemic, long term way.  Is it noteworthy that these nations not only have rigorous environmental regulation but prosperous economies, as well?

Sustainable Event Planners must initiate processes to factor in the environmental performance of the destination itself.  Armed with reports such as Yale’s Environmental Performance Index and Best Places to Meet Green planners can begin to make informed inquiries and defensible decisions. Not only do top performing destinations offer better potential for sustainable event fundamentals such as comprehensive waste management (minimum 50% of total waste recycled or composted), efficient public transportation and access to sustainable foods, but can deliver capacity to reduce the event related greenhouse gas emissions.  Hotel rooms in Sweden, (and other nations with more than half of their energy supply from renewable sources) emit half the carbon as hotels whose energy comes from brown coal.

The upcoming APEX green meeting standards, a collaboration between the USEPA and the Convention Industry Council, identifies a comprehensive list of considerations for planners and destinations, themselves.

Are you considering the environmental, or better yet sustainable, performance of your events’ host city?  If not, what resources would you need to start?

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Are “Green Meetings” hurting sustainable fisheries?

Posted on January 23, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

‘We have met the enemy and he is us‘   Pogo

Hotels, conference centers, caterers and wholesale vendors across the globe routinely offer non-sustainable fish choices in response to real or perceived client demand.  Should they?

Meeting planner and supplier polls show expanding interest in  ‘green meetings’. Meanwhile, perhaps in the name of tradition and/or good customer service, these same planners and suppliers purchase huge quantities of fish stocks deemed endangered or harmful to sustainable fisheries.  Doubt it?  Go to Hong Kong and ask for shark fin soup.  Go to Baltimore and ask for farm raised salmon.  You’ll be pleased with the speed of service.

“The customer is always right”. Really?   What responsibility do we have (as buyers and suppliers) to refuse to carry threatened species, or to deny a client request for same? Will the market punish us if we commit to buy only sustainable seafood?

It’s unclear where ‘responsible purchasing’ stops and ‘advocacy’ starts, but one wonders if the lack of industry complaint against non-sustainable fisheries and the tolerance of suppliers who offer non-sustainable fish, is a tacit approval of harmful practices.  Let us not be our own enemy.

Education is key.  The more one learns, perhaps, the more one will challenge a flawed system and work to activate a change.

Find out more about sustainable fishery issues by reading the UNEP guide,  the new WWF report, and Daniel Pauly’s informed, disturbing assessment Aquacalypse Now.  Here, at the Marine Bio site, too.

Have answers and thoughts on the questions above?  Please share.

Filed under: CSR@MCI, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Hotels, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

The meetings industry is a paper tiger

Posted on January 19, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

Oddly, as technological innovations have advanced, and use of handheld communication devices expanded, so has the production of paper and consumption of trees.  In 1961, world production of paper and paperboard stood at 77 million tons.  In 2005,  354 million tons (more here).

Meanwhile,  recycling of paper and paperboard in industrialized nations is consistently less than 50% of the waste stream.

Fun fact:Recycling 1 ton of paper saves the energy equivalent of 185 gallons (700 liters) of gasoline.

Less fun fact: In 2008, the US EPA reported that in the US alone, over 35 million tons of paper went unrecycled.

Meetings Industry example: COP15  exceeded 8 million printed pages for its 10 day event (=the weight of  two Caterpillar dump trucks).

There exist many, many tools, resources and recommendations to guide a move to reduced printing. What’s needed now is social change (getting comfortable with practices to reduce paper use at the source) and action.  Some fundamentals:

1.  Measure your use and attach a monetary value to that.  Set a goal to reduce use using money as a goal.

2.  Convert your paper use to interesting environmental impact figures: Check out this

3.  Change your purchasing practices to mandate a minimum of 35% post consumer recycled paper.  In most industrialized nations, it’s cost is at par or below virgin paper stock.  Pressure suppliers.

4. Educate your stakeholders (see above) and advise them that your Congress directories, annual reports, telephone directory, newsletter, etc, will only be available online.  Encourage readers not to print.

5.  Collaborate with your printer.  The more you print, the more they make, but good providers have practical solutions for reducing (expanded margins, smaller sizes, paper types, etc).  Explain your goals and approach them as a resource and a partner.

Let’s tame that paper hungry beast

Your ideas?  Helpful resources?

Filed under: Destinations, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , , , | 4 Comments »

A sustainable network makes us stronger: GMIC

Posted on January 14, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

The Green Meetings Industry Council (GMIC) has been the most effective force for change in the meetings industry movement to find and integrate more responsible practices.  A wellspring of ideas, resources and friendships for the rapidly expanding network of committed business professionals who have discovered it, the GMIC is like no other meetings industry association. 

The GMIC is as much a tribe as it is a driver of business;  the culture is one characterized by palpable excitement and optimism for the potential of the future imbued with a fiery passion for leaving the world a better place.  Jaded enough, perhaps,  to know that idealism alone will not result in needed positive change for industry, members have come together to share best practices, uncover new technologies, and make incandescent the messages for the cause of sustainable, responsible ‘green’ practices for business.  In this way, this is an organization focused on creating business results in a faster, smarter way.

Next month, from 9 through 11 February, 2010 in Denver, Colorado, USA, the GMIC will hold the Sustainable Meetings Conference.

The emerging APEX Green Meeting Standards, itself a direct result of the passionate GMIC network of committed professionals, will serve as a framework for much of the content of the conference.

For any meetings industry professional who understands that we are stronger as a network of unified talents and voices, and who seeks practical resources and ideas to speed improved business performance, they are strongly encouraged to register and attend.  This conference is the most powerful conference and education experience for green meeting planners and suppliers.  Plan to come.

See you in Denver!

Filed under: Destinations, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

CSR – the MCI Way

Posted on January 13, 2010 by Guy Bigwood

At our recent MCI International Business meeting in Vienna, I had the honour of giving a plenary presentation to over 600 of our talent.

In the video you can see me explain CSR – the MCI way. I talk about Key CSR accomplishments in 2009 and the MCI CSR vision and strategy. You can then see the presentation of the 2009 MCI Leadership in CSR award that was presented to MCI Sweden.

To understand why i am a bit choked up and emotional when I start the keynote, I recommend that you first listen to Charlotte Gough reading the Lost Generation Poem

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We are not a part of the Lost Generation

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Guy Bigwood

At the recent MCI International Business meeting (IBM) in Vienna, over 600 MCI staff participated for three days in plenary sessions, workshops, training classes and of-course a few drinks.

For my CSR update session, we decided to start the plenary with something a little different.. Have a look at the video and listen to Charlotte Gough from the MCI UK office reading the memorable “lost generation” poem from Jonathan Reed.

This poem sums up and reflects the attitude, vision and aspirations of what we are trying to achieve with the MCI CSR program. Not surprisingly she received a standing ovation, which was well deserved. Charley your a star!

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Carbon and climate and planes, Oh my!

Posted on January 12, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

For the meetings and events industry, it’s the elephant in the room and, for all it’s size and imminent danger, it’s not moving anytime soon.

Airline emissions represent a minimum of 80% of event-related emissions for larger meetings and a recent, information-rich article from the Guardian/Green Futures magazine reveals that, in spite of all the technological innovations and exciting developments with alternative fuels, no real change will happen for decades.

Now what?  The technology guys are working hard but more is needed.  Continuing, as an industry, with our head in the sand (our experience shows that fewer than 10% of events and business travel is measured and offset..  never mind integrated reduction efforts) is not responsible.  We know it’s an issue and yet– and here the aviation industry heartily agrees–we need to have meetings. 

So, champions of sustainable events, where does that leave us? Thoughts?…anyone?  (.. Bueller??)   There are no easy answers, which is why we need our inspired industry leadership.  We must commit to an approach, then galvanize and solidify our voice and speed the formation of a plan for immediate action.

Some ideas for event planners and suppliers:

1.  Promote renewable energy now.  Most destinations have a utility offering clean energy for business.  When selecting vendors, require they purchase clean, real-renewable (not nuclear, sorry nuclear team) energy.  Industry leaders, demand political action and investment to find faster solutions to climate friendly travel. Join forces with airline lobbyists.  We have shared goals here.

1.  Measure (placed here as co-#1).  Lots of helpful, easy-to-use methods and tools available, so no excuses for not measuring the climate impact of your event and business travel.  Don’t forget to include the travel incurred during planning phases.  Don’t forget to include RFI factor (1.9 suggested as a minimum).

2. Set reduction targets.  Perform an emissions forecast of your event or business travel.  There’s the size of your problem, so how will you minimize it?  Rail instead?  More speakers virtual technology? Print on site and eliminate shipping of heavy boxes for the exhibition?

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.. and it’s chow time!

Filed under: CSR@MCI, Destinations, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Social Responsibility FAIL: can we do better?

Posted on January 8, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

Two international retailers, H&M and Wal-Mart, just got a pie in the face of their (stated?) strong Corporate Social Responsibility programs. Today’s news from the New York Times revealed that bags and bags and bags of unsold, post-holiday clothing stock was destroyed before being discarded, ostensibly to prevent it from being re-sold.  A saavy business maneuver or ‘ Social Responsibilty: FAIL’?

Items destroyed and discarded represent huge waste (cost) not only to staff time, landfill costs, etc, but to both brands, neither of which needs the outpouring of bashing which has been the result.  While costly in terms of wasted resources, this incident represents huge lost opportunity.  A well organized initiative to donate these items would have avoided cost and boosted consumer trust in each brand.

These incidents have special resonance for large meetings and events, as well as other businesses.  We seem geared to see disposal, rather than planned donation, as the preferred method to clear out exhibition halls, registration desks and store rooms.  What meeting planner would not feel remorse if journalists splashed their event on the front page for  insensitive, irresponsible waste practices?  Why wait for such embarrassment before taking action to integrate a plan to donation usable materials post event?

As part of planning their European Offshore Wind event in Stockholm last fall, EWEA partnered with Majblomman, a Swedish NGO supporting children, to  donate congress bags.  Similar efforts are being observed by other meeting planners and venues, so the idea is neither new or difficult to understand, just rare in its occurrence.

We’re better than this, people!

In addition to the previously mentioned (here, too)  GMIC Trash Challenge, Please share your thoughts, examples and resources for expanding on the idea to donate usable resources.

Filed under: CSR@MCI, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Carbon neutral? Why not ‘Climate responsible’?

Posted on January 4, 2010 by Michael Luehrs

Soon, the British Standards Institute will release a standard on ‘Carbon Neutral’ events.  That is, if your event does not follow and document key processes outlined in the standard, it cannot be deemed ‘carbon neutral’.

The pursuit of a standard which requires a commitment to reduced emissions is appropriate, but the Carbon Neutral “brand” needs to go.

Like a sassy ad for cigarettes, the current (pre-standard) ‘carbon neutral’ brand promotes unhealthy actions.  Event owners can now budget to offset varying degrees of carbon emissions and market the event with something that looks like responsible action although no effort to reduce event related emissions was planned.

Similarly, ‘carbon neutral’ smacks of the disigenuous.  ‘Neutral’ becomes re-defined by arbitrary parameters.  Did the measurement consider the emissions resulting from the production of the 20,000 square meters of carpet that will be landfilled or incinerated?  Probably not.  Still, the attractive ‘carbon neutral’ label is awarded. 

Granted, an investment in offsetting represents a still new and positive shift in how event owners account for the impact their meeting has on the climate. Further, the ‘carbon neutral’ standard, once released, will result in everybody using the same terminology and definitions.

Still, offsetting was never intended to be the solution, but one part of a multi-facted approach with emissions reduction requiring the most focus.  Even then, our response without a major effort to safely sequester carbon will prove inadequate to achieve the 350ppm to keep our familiar climate in balance.

Offsetting is not enough and ‘Carbon Neutral’ labeled events must not become the goal. Event planners and owners must do more.

One of the lessons from COP15 is the need for all actors to immediately commit to reducing emissions. The meetings industry, like other industries, must measure their Greenhouse Gas emissions and collaborate with respective stakeholders to set agressive goals to reduce total emissions while pursuing effective carbon sequestration, investment in–and efficient usage of– non-nuclear renewable energies in an effort to become ‘Climate responsble’.

Now, that’s a worthy label by any standard.

Your thoughts?

Filed under: CSR@MCI, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , , , | 9 Comments »

CSR in business: practical guide

Posted on December 28, 2009 by Michael Luehrs

In starting this blog it was our hope to share practical examples of sustainability in practice in organizations, especially the meetings industry.  While other topics sometimes stir our passions, the intent is still to shine a light on ways to improve your business for triple bottom line benefit

Corporate Social Responsibility is, of course, a very broad term referring to a highly complex array of philosophies and systems.   Often,  these complexities serve as barriers to any meaningful action.

So, in the spirit of providing practical, meaningful example, I offer as a resource a great book just out from JP Bergqvist.  JP, formerly the engine and guide behind Scandic Hotels path to sustainable practices, now leads Sleepwell sustainable business advisors.

Designed for busy professionals, the book is a fast guide rich with clear example.  Written in plain language,  as though from a trusted colleague, it’s an ideal guide for the CEO as well as the leader of the office ‘green team’.

Order the book at JP’s website by contacting him directly.  (Note:  We’re fans and friends of JP but receive no financial compensation for any book sold.  JP shares a portion of the proceeds with his chosen charities, however, so please buy several and let us know what you think! Do you have recommendations for other practical guides you’d like to share?  Please let us know!)

Filed under: General Sustainability | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

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