By Al Rickard, CAE
Green meetings have been popular for years, but a few people still seem to need convincing that sustainability is smart business.
Earlier this spring, ASAE's Convene Green Alliance (CGA) hosted a Sustainability Smackdown: Mythbusting for Green Meeting Skeptics and Procrastinators. Seeded with heckling actors, the session tackled five common myths about green meetings and—led by CGA Director Kristin Clarke—featured Bridget Chisholm, Conference Director of the International Leadership Association, and Cheryl Wallen, Meeting Planner for the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. The speakers shared a gavel and compelling arguments to show how any organization can take advantage of green meeting practices to generate valuable ROI.
"I still hear such excuses used by meeting planners who are new to the industry or who have not kept up enough in their professional field to realize that sustainability is no longer a trend but a constant," said Clarke. "They don't understand or they underestimate just how robust and positive the ROI from a good sustainable meeting strategy can be."
Myth #1: Green meetings cost more.
Chisholm busted this myth by asking, "What are we concerned about? What costs so much? If it was 1984, maybe cost would be a deal breaker. But it's 2014! It doesn't cost any more to use a LEED-certified facility or sustainable lanyards. What is more expensive about serving locally crafted beer or wine? Even tomatoes grown locally cost the same or are cheaper and often are much better-tasting than tomatoes grown elsewhere. Tote bags with recycled content might have cost more 10 years ago, but not today. People always assume there is a green premium, but that's generally not true anymore. You need to ask."
Clarke, who shared results of a 2013 CGA survey on association involvement in green meetings, also suggested looking at the total bottom line rather than line-by-line. She noted that adjustments can be made to even out expenses such as offsetting slightly higher prices for organic food against cost savings of, say, switching from plastic water bottles to water stations or sponsored reusable bottles.
Another tip she mentioned is to work with the food and beverage department well in advance of a meeting to leverage strong relationships between the chef and local farmers and negotiate better food pricing, identify what's in season and is, therefore, cheaper, and ensure access to sustainable ingredients.
Myth #2: Green meetings are a hassle because sustainability decisions add to my workload.
Wallen and other meeting planners have found that working with local partners can save time and easily tap local expertise on such issues as recycling or composting regulations and community service opportunities while offering solutions that will be popular with members who increasingly expect or ask for sustainable events.
"The hospitality community of hotels, convention centers, and other vendors that support meetings already has taken much of the work and expense out of greening conferences by pioneering innovations and boosting access to eco-friendly operations and opportunities. Increasingly, they get it, and so do associations. It's a learning curve for everyone, but those on the ground are usually very knowledgeable and eager to help," said Clarke.
Myth #3: My attendees/vendors/exhibitors don't care about green meetings.
Wallen busted this myth by noting, "My members don't give me a choice about green meetings. When you have "wild places" in your mission statement, you have to pay attention to the environment."
She cited studies that show people do care. "Seventy-five percent of the public recycles, so your attendees are recycling at home and/or at the office. Why would your conference be any different? Our members will hold onto a piece of paper until they find a recycling bin to put it in. It's also just the right thing to do. Surveys of the impact of waste on the environment demonstrate that. We have a green mission logo next to everything we do that is green."
According to the CGA survey, 64 percent of CGA members and ASAE meeting professionals reported that sustainability is fairly to critically important to their booking decisions, so these leaders clearly do "care" that they reflect the public's greener attitudes and obtain the maximum ROI from doing so.
Myth #4: Our meetings are small, so we can't make an impact with green meetings.
"You don't think you are able to create change when you are small, but those collective asks across the country are making a difference," Chisholm said. "How did LEED certification get started? People asked for it. Even small meetings can boost the local economy and the livelihoods of local farmers."
"Small meetings are the fastest-growing segment of the meetings industry," Clarke noted. "The impact when you add them all together becomes quite formidable."
Myth #5: I don't know much about green meetings.
"Talk to your convention and visitors' center, convention center, hotel, and other local partners; they have plenty of information," said Chisholm. "You'll also find plenty of online resources."
"You don't have to go by any particular standards to green your meeting," Clarke added. "But they can be helpful to use as simple checklists or goal-setting tools."
Getting Started
Besides myth-busting, speakers also offered practical advice on getting started with green meetings.
"You don't have to do everything," said Clarke. "Once you take your first green meeting action and hopefully track what you are doing and its impact, it becomes easier for future meetings.
"Holding paper-free and paper-lite meetings are good first steps. The fear that people will object to this has generally not materialized. People are more digitally oriented and are more comfortable using meeting apps. Running a recycling program is also an easy thing to do. People are used to this and will appreciate having it."
Holding meetings in facilities committed to sustainable meetings also is critical to making green meetings easy, creative, and cost-effective. "Choosing a sustainable venue is the top thing that planners want to do," Clarke says. "Convene Green is always urging planners to ask about sustainability on their RFPs, something that about 85 percent of CGA members report doing."
For more information on CGA, visit http://www.asaecenter.org/GeneralDetail.cfm. Membership is free to anyone who works at an association or nonprofit.
Al Rickard, CAE, is President of Association Vision, 4501 Hazelnut Court, Chantilly, VA 20151. He is the Immediate Past Chair of ASAE's Communication Section Council. He can be reached at arickard@associationvision.com or 703-402-9713, or through his website at www.associationvision.com.