The Green Tourism Symposium - Rhode Island

National Recycling Coalition, Inc.

The Green Tourism Symposium - Rhode Island

Green MeetingsPresented by: Rebecca MebaneDirector of Conferences and MeetingsNational Recycling Coalition


What is a ‘Green Meeting?’

The Convention Industry Council defines it as “a meeting or event that incorporates environmental considerations to minimize itsnegative impact on the environment.”


How do I plan a ‘Green Meeting?’

NRC’s Green Meeting Policy:- Promotion/Printed Materials - Transportation- Food & Beverage Functions- Hotels- Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors- Educating Attendees - Evaluation of ‘Green’ efforts


Promotion/Printed Materials

General Use/Paper Copying•Always meet or exceed EPA standards for recycled content paper.

(Executive Order 13101 states that paper purchased by Federal Agencies must have a minimum of 30% recycled content.)



Closing the Loop

- Diverting Recyclables from the Waste Stream

- Companies use these recyclables to manufacture new products

- Purchase products made from recovered materials



How can you ‘Close the Loop’

- Make sure to recycled content paper

- Ask your printer to use recycled content paper.



Other• Always use back to back copying/printing

• Do not use goldenrod or fluorescent colored paper, limit any use of glossy paper



Promotional Materials• Utilize electronic advertising/promotion where

ever possible ($)• Make materials self mailers wherever possible

($)• Clean-up mailing lists ($)• Offer registration on-line • Find mailing labels with water-based adhesives• Print with non-volatile vegetable-oil based ink



Confirmation Materials • Send confirmation materials

electronically ($) or have information available on website, and mailed only when requested

• Provide Attendees “Green” Traveler Ideas(Ask Green Hotels Association for permission to reprint.) www.greenhotels.com

http://www.greenhotels.com/



Speaker Handouts • Ask speakers to provide handouts

electronically and post these on your website ($)

• Then ask attendees to download in advance or provide computers/printers on-site for downloading presentations.

.



• Provide attendees with disks with all presentations

• Request that speakers ask attendees for business cards for speakers to mail any materials that they don't have on-site



On-site Materials • Collect and reuse name tag holders ($)

– Have badge collection boxes at Registration area, at exit of exhibit hall on last day, and at exit of convention center on the last day

– Ask congress hotels to have collection boxes at front desk for check-out

– Offer a prize drawing from those recycled name tag holders



• Use reusable or recyclable signs ($)

• Congress give-a-ways (totebags, mugs, etc.) should be made with recycled content materials.

• Speaker gifts/awards/etc. should be made from recycled materials or be environmentally conscience.


Transportation

Choose a destination with minimal travel requirements for delegates. Shorter distances will result in less environmental impact.

• Choose hotels/meeting venues accessible to airport by public transit system.

• Use or give delegates incentives to travel via public transit (free passes or transit route maps).


Transportation

• Have hotels, meeting venues, and “free time” activities (restaurants and shops) all walking distance of each other.

• If transportation is being arranged for delegates choose vehicle which use one of the following: electric or hybrid power, natural gas, propane, methane gas or ethanol.


Working with Facilities

In Advance– Send with RFP a “Recycling & Waste

Prevention Information Checklist” • Ask if they are certified by either EPA Energy Star,

Green Seal or are you a LEED Certified Building. • Ask about Recycling Programs, Energy

Conservation, do they purchase recycled content products. Etc.

– Use this information to evaluate and choose facilities


Working with Facilities

ContractsAdd as an appendix to your contract any “Green Meeting” requirements:

“Facility agrees to abide by the following for all NRC events. If any additional costs are to be incurred by NRC for any of these items, these costs must be identified in the contract.”


Food & Beverage Functions

Eliminate use of disposable service ware • Require all facilities to use non-

disposable serviceware



Using 1,000 disposable plastic spoons consumes over 10 times more energy and natural resources then manufacturing one stainless steel teaspoon and washing it 1,000 times.



Recycling’s true value comes from preventing pollution and saving natural resources and energy not landfill space.



• It takes 95% less energy to recycle aluminum then it does to make from raw materials

• Recycled steel saves 60%• Recycled Plastic 70%• Glass & newspaper 40%



If non-disposable service ware is unavailable:

-use biodegradable disposable service ware in conjunction with a compost program or- service ware made from recycled content materials.



• Onsite concessionaires:– Ask concessionaires to use recycled content

products or biodegradable disposable service ware in conjunction with a compost program

– Ask concessionaires to serve beverages to Congress attendees in their Congress mugs.

– Promote/recognize concessionaires who are willing to work with you in those areas.



• Eliminate the use of plastic or wood stir sticks with any beverage service, reusable spoons should be used at coffee service.

• "Box lunches" must be served buffet style • Request cloth napkins and table cloths be

used. In cases where this is not feasible, request compostable napkins or napkins made from recycled content materials.



• Have cocktail napkins available at bar service but instruct bartenders not to automatically give them with each drink.

• Provide or ask attendees to use mugs. • Use water coolers instead of individual

bottles of water.($)• Have a recycling program for type of

beverage containers that will be served (i.e. glass, plastic or cans).



Food Service • All condiments (ketchup, mustard,

mayonnaise, jelly, butter, sugar, creamers, etc) should be served in serving containers and not in individual packets.

• Ask to have food served without garnishes or use edible garnishes.



• Where possible, donate surplus food to local shelters, soup kitchens, etc.

• Plan menus with locally grown or organic food (including fair trade, shade grown coffee, tea, chocolate, and coco).

• Serve only environmentally friendly seafood.• Provide a “signup form for meals” section on

registration form



Food Composting • Ask Facilities to provide food composting

or • Selling scraps to Pig Farms


Hotels

Linen/Towel ProgramFor hotels who don't already change towels and bed linens as requested, have them commit to doing this for our attendees during our stay.


Hotels

• Provide cards that guests can use during their stay to let housekeeping know whether they want their towels and bed linens changed.

• Give these cards to hotel for them to give to our guests during check-in.

• Let attendees know in advance to expect these cards at check-in.

• Attendees should be instructed to call housekeeping at the hotel if the hotel is not following the instructions not to have their towels and bed linens changed.


Hotels

For hotels that don't have dispensers in the bathrooms for shampoo/soap/etc, or don't have a program already in place to donate these used containers, collect and donate opened hotel toiletries and soap. • Work with the host committee to find organizations who can use opened hotel toiletries and soap. • Have a collection box set up at the Convention Center on the last day and see if we can also setup collection boxes at the hotel front desk.


Hotels

Recycling • Check to see if the hotel has in-room

recycling containers or is able to collect recycling items from the trash. If not, instruct attendees to bring any recyclables from their hotel room to the collection stations in the meeting areas of the hotel.


Hotels/Convention Centers

Convention Center/Hotels/Off Property Venues

Setup a recycling program to collect: - Paper - All Beverage Containers (i.e. glass,

plastic, aluminum cans) that are being served.

- Corrugated Paper (done behind the scenes recycling containers not needed in 'public' areas).


Hotels/Convention Centers

-Container areas should be visually well identified

-Make sure to educate attendees on what can be recycled and where

-Make sure to have trash cans near recycling containers


Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors

The goal is to make recycling for exhibitors a positive experience and not to be so restrictive or make recycling so difficult that we discourage exhibitors from participating at the Congress.



Give-a-ways • Ask exhibitors not to over-package give-a-

ways • Set up a collection for any 'useful' give-a-

ways that would normally be thrown away and donate them to local shelters or schools.

• Ask exhibitors that give-a-ways be reusable items or items made from recycled materials.



Exhibitor promotional materials • Give exhibitors our "Green" policy for

promotional materials and ask/suggest that they adhere to them.

• Let exhibitors know in advance the expected number of attendees to help them in their planning on appropriate number of handouts/give-a-ways to bring.



• Encourage exhibitors to bring small quantities and then mail materials to clients from their offices after the show or refer clients to their web site.

• Suggest exhibitors avoid printing dates and slogans on exhibit materials so that they may be easily reused.

• Let Exhibitors know how/where they can recycle their materials


Exhibit Hall/ Exhibitors

Recognition of "Green" Exhibitors • Develop criteria to recognize "green"

exhibitors. • Send to criteria to exhibitors in advance. • Recognize exhibitors, who meet a required

level of the criteria, in post-Congress materials and at the following year's Congress (special notation on their booth signage or other signage which they can display at their booth).


Exhibit Hall/ Exhibitors

Decorator• Work with decorator on putting decorator

kit on the website. • Work with decorator on trying to eliminate

non-reusable materials (draping for tables, etc) or see if they can be reused by local schools, etc.


Educating Attendees

Educating Attendees• Pre-Congress information

Let attendees know in advance (either by e-mails or in Congress Confirmation materials) about general recycling programs that will be in place and how they can participate. If you will be providing the 'bed linen/towel changing' cards to the hotel, let attendees know they should be receiving them at check-in.


Educating Attendees

Educating Attendees• Program Book

– Include details of our on-site recycling/waste prevention program, including: what materials will be recycled and where recycling bins are located; what 'behind -the-scenes' recycling is taking place at the Convention Centers/Hotels/Off-site Facilities;

– Notice of any special deals that on-site concessionaires are offering (that promote waste prevention)


Educating Attendees

Program Book (cont’d)– Other waste prevention measures you are

taking (reusing names badges & signage, mug program, confirmation materials on the web, etc).

– Information should start with an intro into why we have this program in place.


Educating Attendees

Educating Attendees• Announcement at sessions• Reminders in daily signage


Educating Attendees

Encouraging/Rewarding Attendees • Provide attendees seen with "I was caught

green handed" buttons, pins, etc to help provide an incentive/ reminder for attendees to recycle/ eliminate waste.


Educating Attendees

Recycling Advisors • Have designated volunteers to serve as

recycling advisors. Have special badges, shirts or ribbons to identify these advisors. Purpose of recycling advisors is to help identify recycling areas to attendees and to help assist and encourage attendees to recycle.


Evaluation of ‘Green’ efforts

Attendee & Exhibitor Evaluation • Have a section on the Conference

Evaluation Forms asking them to rank your ‘green’ meeting efforts

(were they aware of programs, ease of participating in the programs, any other areas where organization can improve upon)


Evaluation of ‘Green’ efforts

Post-Congress • Let attendees know that a post congress

recycling/waste prevention report will be available on our website a few weeks after the Congress. Include information on how much/what kinds of materials were recycled.


Recycled Content Fashion Show

The Green Tourism Symposium - Rhode Island

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