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Green Meetings

Click here to download the Green Meetings Report as a PDF.

Click here to download a German translation of the Green Meetings Report (PDF).

What is a Green Meeting or Event?
What are the Benefits of Green Meetings & Events?

In 2003, the Convention Industry Council’s Green Meetings Task Force was charged with creating minimum best practices for event organizers and suppliers to use as guidelines for implementing policies of sustainability. The task force was composed of individuals from the EPA, the Ocean’s Blue Foundation, the Society of Incentive Travel Executive’s Green Meeting Group, the World Travel Organization, hotels, convention and visitor’s bureaus, convention centers, and meeting-planning organizations. The task force members were:

Russ Clark
USEPA, Pollution Prevention Division

Ian Dockrill, CMP, AHCIMA
ANE Global Management

Shawna McKinley
Oceans' Blue Foundation

Helena Faith Miel
Independent Planner

Kitty Radcliff
Jacksonville & the Beaches Convention and Visitors Bureau

Sarah Raposa
Center for Environmental Leadership in Business for Conservation International

Tedd Saunders
Eco-Logical Solutions & Saunders Hotel Group

Mike Smith
Portland Oregon Visitors Association

Amy Spatrisano, CMP
Meeting Strategies Worldwide, Task Force Chair

The results of the Task Force's work are a series of guidelines for event organizers and event suppliers on running environmentally friendly events. Those guidelines are available in the Convention Industry Council's Green Meetings Report.

What is a Green Meeting or Event?

A green meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations to minimize its negative impact on the environment.

What are the Benefits of Green Meetings & Events?

  • The Economic Bottom Line – Green Meetings & Events Can Save Money. Planning and executing a green meeting isn’t just about being environmentally responsible, they can have economic benefits for the event organizer. In fact, many of the minimum recommended guidelines in the Green Meetings Report can actually save money. For example, collecting name badge holders for reuse at an event of 1300 attendees can save approximately $975 for the event organizer.*
  • The Environmental Bottom Line – Green Meetings & Events are Good for the Environment Using recycled materials, recycling materials used, reusing items and reducing materials used can significantly lessen the environmental impact an event has. For example, if a five-day event serves 2200 people breaks, breakfasts, lunches and receptions using china instead of plastic disposables, it prevents 1,890 lbs. of plastic from going into a landfill. That’s nearly one ton! Another example is by not pre-filling water glasses at banquet tables during three days of served lunches for 2200 attendees; 520 gallons of water can be saved.**Information provided by Meeting Strategies Worldwide

©2004 Convention Industry Council
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