Sustainable Events: On strength & Connectedness

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Michael Luehrs

Organisations=Organisms Within any organisation, individual department-based process are interrelated and interdependent. Random example: The person working reception at a hotel, if they are to be productive and enthusiastic, relies on the successful observation of effective processes in the restaurant.  Poor systems will result in poor service and, eventually, problems for anybody involved in guest service. [...]

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Engaging Suppliers in sustainable business

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Michael Luehrs

Can an organization bring positive change to the world through supplier engagement? Any number of compelling examples exist. Wal-Mart, once vilified as a leech on local economies is now celebrated for effectively changing everything from supplier packaging to supplier commitment to green business practices.  To support their own mission to reduce the impacts of meetings, [...]

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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 [...]

Filed under: 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 [...]

Filed under: Destinations, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , , , , | 6 Comments »

Fighting for freshwater at World Water Week

Posted on August 19, 2009 by Michael Luehrs

This week, here in Stockholm, Sweden, 2200 participants from around the world have gathered to address the critical issues related to freshwater.  World Water Week, now in its 18th year, focuses on “new thinking and positive action toward water-related challenges and the impact on the world’s environment, health, economic and poverty reduction agenda”. One exhibitor, World [...]

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Green Meeting menu initiative: low carbon meals

Posted on April 28, 2009 by Michael Luehrs

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. [...]

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What is sustainable procurement?

Posted on April 24, 2009 by Guy Bigwood

After my recent post about the 4Ps of Sustainable procurement, a few people asked me- well “what’s sustainable procurement?” After starting to write a nice post, I realised that the BS8901 standard has an excellent section on this in their sustainable event management standards. So hoping that I am not infringing on copyright, here it [...]

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4Ps for reaching out to your supply chain

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Guy Bigwood

For most event organizers and many supplier, our ability to really increase sustainability performance is contingent on our ability to manage the supply chain. When we work with our clients we advise them to better manage their supply chain management. Michael and I created something called the 4Ps that may help you to think about [...]

Filed under: Destinations, Exhibition and Congress Centers, General Sustainability, Hotels, Meetings and Events | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

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