THE MILLION TONS OF TRASH CHALLENGE

Did you know that the average meeting produces 20 pounds (9.1 kilograms) of waste PER PERSON, PER DAY?

Join event industry leaders who are pledging to divert 1 Million Tons of trash from worldwide landfills in 2009.

The Million Tons of Trash Challenge was conceived by leaders and members of the Green Meetings Industry Council during the 2009 Action=Sustainability Conference. The purpose of the Challenge is to build momentum and awareness toward the ultimate goal of reducing the environmental footprint of meetings and events, thereby building a more sustainable industry.

Q: What kind of data do I need to collect?

A: All participants are required to report how much trash their event or company produced, and how much was recycled by weight at a minimum. Two simple numbers. For those who are also reducing trash by composting, providing donation programs or cutting back on things like paper you can report this information as an option. Optional data fields include weights of plastics, glass, paper, e-waste, cardboard, oil, compost, wood, construction waste, donations and others. Data can be provided in metric or imperial, and will be converted for aggregate calculations.

Go to http://www.greenmeetings.info/trashchallenge/challenge.html for tips, resources, case studies, and networking opportunities for anyone who wants to reduce event trash.

GMIC invites all who are involved with events to sign up and commit here to reduce and divert waste and to measure and submit statistics using our online calculator.

Follow them on Twitter and check back often to see Blog updates and new case studies that will motivate the industry to make a difference and change our event waste habits forever.