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Whether you are:
...information and tools are now available to help make greening meetings easier than ever! To find the information most relevant to you depending on who you are, start by going to EPA's green meetings web site at www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings. A FREE, INTERACTIVE, WEB-BASED TOOL FOR PLANNERS & SUPPLIERS Anyone who has ever organized a conference or meeting knows the monetary and environmental costs involved in such an undertaking. In an effort to incorporate Green Purchasing into more public settings, EPA's EPP Program supported the Oceans Blue Foundation in the development of an online Green Meetings Tool. The tool, available at Oceans Blue Foundation's web site at http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org, was funded and developed through a wide variety of stakeholders that included, government, trade associations, private sector companies or consultants, and nonprofit organizations. The tool shows meeting planners and service suppliers how to incorporate green principles into every aspect of conference and meeting planning. Starting with 10 Easy Tips to Greening your meeting, the guide takes users step by step through every part of the planning process from location and major venue selection, to transportation, to food and beverage options, to communications and general office practices. Also included are success stories, the opportunity to receive an e-newsletter and a calculator for gauging how "green" your meeting is through an interactive quiz that informs users how their choices effect the "greenness" of their meeting. Finally, the online tool offers users a broad list of other links and resources. The goal of this tool is to allow users access to a comprehensive resource that should save time, money and the environment. MEETING HOST TIPS & SAMPLE CONTRACT LANGUAGE As the one ultimately responsible for calling for and/or funding a meeting, meeting hosts are likely to act as a major decision maker over certain large aspects of the meeting, including whether a meeting is planned with the environment in mind or not. A host will either instruct or coordinate with internal meeting planners or contract out to external meeting planners. To create an incentive for internal meeting planners to plan green meetings, a host could work to have an organizational policy adopted and signed by senior management, encouraging or requiring the consideration of the environment when planning meetings. If meetings are planned through externally-obtained contractors, we recommend that you follow EPA's lead and insert solicitation and contract language asking for information on the green products and services offered. EPA's language can be found at http://www.ofee.gov/gp/EPAAR_041207_finalrule.pdf. An example of contract language can be found on the EPA web site at http://yosemite1.epa.gov/oppt/eppstand2.nsf/ef1431c4615697008525676100775eca/d70b0588ca8b661f8525696c0068c310/$FILE/conf2.PDF. MEETING ATTENDEE TIPS AND SAMPLE ORGANIZATIONAL POLICY EPA's green meetings web site, www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings also has tips for how a meeting attendee can encourage the planning of green meetings, support meetings they attend that were planned green, and increase demand for greener meeting services by making requests of suppliers. Please contact Harry Lewis at EPA with any additional questions or comments at (202) 564-8642. |
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