Lessons for Sustainable Destinations & Events from Singapore- Water and Land
Having lived in Singapore for most of the last 2 months I’ve still much to learn about this fascinating island state but in this relatively short time have already been left impressed by how the government has used sustainability as a catalyst for innovation- providing lessons for any events business. The conundrum is why has […]
Transportation & events: omission of emissions?
Transport to and from meetings and events, and the carbon emissions which result, make many of us want to put our head in the sand. We can hope that the problem will go away, but it sits there, a liability needing resolution. Across the world, and in spite of commitment to reduce cost, climate impacts […]
Vulnerability of air travel and its effect on the meetings industry.
Today at the GMIC Conference in Portland Oregon, I led a fascinating panel about the business dimension of sustainability. It focused on how macro trends and issues will affect the meetings industry. One of the panellist was Dr Ian Lee, an expert on the aviation industry from the Sprott School of Business . In the dialog […]
Can reducing food waste help to cool the planet?
This recent article about food waste in the United States, and the energy it represents, offers reminder that this is an area worthy of focus for event professionals and their suppliers. Indeed, a recent session at the MPI WEC conference offered practical actions to reduce carbon emissions related to events. Reducing food waste is by […]
The meetings industry is a paper tiger
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 […]
Carbon and climate and planes, Oh my!
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 […]
Carbon neutral? Why not ‘Climate responsible’?
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 […]
Carbon Counters, Activate!
Posit : It’s important to measure event-related sustainability indicators to further the cause and argument for sustainable events. The most prominent and controversial star of the indicator lineup? Carbon emissions. Carbon measurement: ‘A profusion of tools, a dearth of quality’ We’ve seen a mad scramble to create tools for tracking carbon emissions. Precious few, however, […]
Green Meeting menu initiative: low carbon meals
Cheese= Greenhouse gasses (GHGs). Who knew, right? But cow milk, coming from the same many-stomached , fossil fuel eating, methane belching ruminants as beef (and, of course, veal), carries a heavy GHG load. Lamb, too! Like it’s not confusing enough…Meeting Planner plates are already full of confusion with the local/organic/pesticide/herbicide stuff mentioned in previous posts. […]
Practical Wisdom, sensible solutions
I feel so fortunate to have, in the last 3 days, been present for passionate speeches by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Wangari Maathai, Rt Hon Tony Blair and President Bill Clinton. It was like a festival of voices for action against climate change. While often worrisome, the central themes for each leader offering inspiration for […]
