National Recycling Coalition, Inc. The Green Tourism Symposium - Rhode Island Green Meetings Presented by: Rebecca Mebane Director of Conferences and Meetings National Recycling Coalition

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. What is a Green Meeting? The Convention Industry Council defines it as a meeting or event that incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. How do I plan a Green Meeting? NRCs Green Meeting Policy: -Promotion/Printed Materials -Transportation -Food & Beverage Functions -Hotels -Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors -Educating Attendees -Evaluation of Green efforts

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials General Use/Paper Copying Always meet or exceed EPA standards for recycled content paper. (Executive Order states that paper purchased by Federal Agencies must have a minimum of 30% recycled content.)

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials Closing the Loop - Diverting Recyclables from the Waste Stream - Companies use these recyclables to manufacture new products - Purchase products made from recovered materials

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials How can you Close the Loop -Make sure to recycled content paper -Ask your printer to use recycled content paper.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials Other Always use back to back copying/printing Do not use goldenrod or fluorescent colored paper, limit any use of glossy paper

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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.)

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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..

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Promotion/Printed Materials 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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).

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Working with Facilities Contracts Add 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions Eliminate use of disposable service ware Require all facilities to use non- disposable serviceware

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions Recyclings true value comes from preventing pollution and saving natural resources and energy not landfill space.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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%

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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).

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Food & Beverage Functions Food Composting Ask Facilities to provide food composting or Selling scraps to Pig Farms

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Hotels Linen/Towel Program For hotels who don't already change towels and bed linens as requested, have them commit to doing this for our attendees during our stay.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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).

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Exhibit Hall/Exhibitors 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

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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).

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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)

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Educating Attendees Program Book (contd) –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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Educating Attendees Announcement at sessions Reminders in daily signage

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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)

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. 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.

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Recycled Content Fashion Show

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Recycled Content Fashion Show

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Recycled Content Fashion Show

National Recycling Coalition, Inc. Recycled Content Fashion Show