Green Initiatives -- Establishing Guidelines

It’s important to examine greening practices and involve the city, the convention center and hotels in the city. Let’s determine some minimum guidelines for determining your meeting destination while keeping green initiatives foremost in the process.

How is the transportation accessibility? Is this a destination which is easy to get to? And, how do you get around in it (e.g., public transportation, walking, etc.)?

Look online and search government policies on what is protected – the infrastructure of the city: recycling policies, for example.

Involve the Convention & Visitors Bureau to learn how active and helpful they are in greening this destination and investigate the activity level from the convention services manager and the convention center, as well.

Thorough research needs to be done, of course, in selecting the meeting venue and/or hotel accommodations, but ask about these common initiatives:

1) Does the hotel have Eco-Friendly rooms and are the following practices in place:

• Energy saving (key cards; recycling; LEED certified; commitment from front to back of house
• Linen/towel reuse program (genuine commitment from top)
• Organic/local food on menus
• Employee commitment from top management to front of the house to back of the house.

2) Are minimum guidelines in place for sustainable Food and Beverage practices?

• Does the hotel purchase locally grown w/in “x” number of miles from the property?
• Is it common hotel practice to donate leftovers to food banks, community shelters, etc?
• Is Composting leftovers a facility practice and are they involved with suppliers/purveyors with environment strategies in place?

Come back to the blog soon so read about communicating greening objectives to Board/Committee/Clients.

This land is your land,
this land is my land,
from California
to the New York Island
- WOODY GUTHRIE