Going Green
Does Environmental Consciousness Make Sense For Your Meeting?

By D. Fran Morley

What comes to mind when you think of a “green meeting?" Do you picture barefoot attendees eating raw fruits and vegetables, scribbling on the back of used letterhead? It may surprise you to learn that a green meeting looks and acts a lot like any other meeting.

Amy Spatrisano, CMP, a founding partner of Meeting Strategies Worldwide, based in Portland, Ore., said that having a meeting that seeks to save water and energy and reduce solid waste is mainly about using a common sense approach. “We have been focusing on green meetings for the past five years, and we’ve learned that it doesn’t have to be complicated; there’s really no mystery to it. Sometimes people are just not aware of what they can do, and when we point out simple things that can make a difference, they’re OK with it."

Spatrisano said appealing to a company’s bottom line makes the difference. “Initially, we started out by presenting our ideas only from an environmental standpoint. We knew that we, as meeting planners, had the potential to make a big difference, and we wanted to walk our talk on all levels. But we quickly discovered that it had to make economic sense as well as environmental, so we developed ways to show companies how being green can help save them money."

Save Green By Going Green

The easy answer—and the first that most people offer—is that being environmentally sensitive is the “right thing to do," and there’s no argument to that answer. Sometimes, taking measures to protect the environment can cost a little more, but facilities are discovering that being environmentally aware can also lead to cost savings.

Bill Daley, director of food services and recreation for the Jekyll Island Authority in Jekyll Island, Ga., said simple measures have paid off with big financial results for the Jekyll Island Convention Center. “Georgia’s Pollution Prevention Administrative Division (P2AD) helped us with an assessment about three years ago that was geared toward energy savings. We started out by just being aware of energy usage and doing simple things such as turning off lights and adjusting the air conditioning in rooms that were not being used. In the first year, just by doing those simple things, we saved $20,000. With that savings, we purchased a property energy management system that should generate even more savings."

Several states in the South have green lodging programs in place, including Georgia, Florida and Virginia. Organizations such as Green Seal and the Green Hotels Association also work to encourage an overall greening of the hospitality industry.

In Georgia, P2AD has been working to develop a green hotel program for the past 18 months. With a program based on strict standards developed by Green Seal, P2AD has certified five green properties in Georgia. “We had 60 that were interested and 20 that went through the in-depth assessment involving 36 different criteria. We’re optimistic; we think the numbers will grow. We’re also looking at ways to recognize properties that are taking their first steps toward being green."

Barnes said the program recommends measures that, for the most part, have a quick financial return. “We look for something that a property can implement tomorrow and see a return on next month. In Atlanta, water bills are going through the roof. Water aerators are quick to install, and they make great sense."

Savings at a hotel or convention center can translate to lower costs for meeting attendees or guests. The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla., one of that state’s first recognized Green Lodging hotels, initiated a program that includes a state-of-the-art laundry system that filters and reuses water, window tinting to reduce air conditioning use, energy efficient lighting, and recycling. “Anything that saves energy and reduces waste saves money for us, and that helps reduce overall costs for meetings," said Shara Valerio-Ball, public relations and advertising manager.

The Airlie Conference Center in Warrenton, Va., has had green programs in place for most of its 40 years in business. General Manager Kevin Carter said the facility has “turned up the heat" on green issues in the past three years and with good results. “In 2004, our organic culinary garden provided us with 5,000 pounds of organic produce plus herbs and flowers. We also composted 24,000 pounds of kitchen waste in 2004. The compost is used on our garden, of course, but that is also 24,000 pounds of material we didn’t have to pay to have hauled away."

Peter Gorem, manager of the Florida Green Lodging Program, which began in 2004, said his state began working with hotels on recycling a decade ago. “Our mission is to protect Florida’s abundant natural resources. But, with this program, we are also able to show properties how they can save money by reducing their energy needs. That’s made a big difference."

A common green measure at many hotels is a linen reuse program that allows guests to choose when towels or bed sheets are replaced. According to the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point, it is estimated that $1.50 is saved every day for every hotel guest who chooses to reuse his or her towels or sheets. “The industry would save an estimated $20 million a year and conserve billions of gallons of water if only one-quarter of hotel guests chose to ‘practice green,’" according to the hotel’s press materials.

"Many mid-range hotels started doing things like linen reuse and installing low-flow taps and water-saving toilets because it made sense economically," said Laura Terrell, director of purchasing at the Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa in Houston. “We’re a luxury hotel, and when we first initiated our linen reuse policy, we were concerned that we would hear complaints. But we didn’t. Now, our default policy is that we don’t change linens every day unless a guest specifically makes that request. It was a bold move for us, but it’s becoming more and more accepted industry-wide. And for us, it’s just a small part of what we do."

Meeting planners can also save money by taking obvious and simple measures during their events. "We recommend that instead of having individual bottles of water that planners use larger jugs of water and glasses or biodegradable paper cups. We tracked the savings on that for 1,300 people over three days, and it came to $12,000," Spatrisano said. "In that case, the facility didn’t charge for bulk water, but they would have charged for individual bottled water."

Spatrisano’s organization has tracked other savings as well. "We ask that a facility put a water pitcher on the table and not pre-pour water glasses. With 2,200 meals, we estimated a savings of 520 gallons of water. And, of course, there is a huge savings in staff time as well. We also ask that facilities not put saucers under coffee cups for every meal; that saved 12,000 gallons of dishwater with no reduction in quality."

Who Is Going Green?

A common myth is that only environmental organizations or businesses are interested in green meetings. Spatrisano said this is not the case. "We started with environmental groups, but we were surprised to learn that they did not always consider the impact that their meetings have on the environment. Of course, these groups are very good with their own mission, but they don’t do meetings for a living and it just didn’t occur to them to think about it. But, obviously, it was easy to convince environmental groups of the need. Now, more and more companies are looking at this, including many Fortune 500 companies. Big corporations are quite aware of how they are viewed by the public, and they want to be environmentally responsible."

It’s not always easy to identify companies or associations that are likely to prefer a green meeting site. "Most of our inquiries about green meetings have been from associations, but you just don’t know what someone’s priorities are," said Karen Pendleton, director of sales at Emory Conference Center Hotel in Atlanta. "I’ve heard that if a company or association receives proposals from four or five venues and one venue is green, then that is going to sway their decision. It’s certainly something to keep in mind."

Meeting facilities and hotels that have gone green believe that the movement is spreading. "We may be about the only hotel in Kentucky to never use Styrofoam cups or containers for our to-go boxes," said Gregory Davis, general manager of the Mammoth Cave Hotel at Mammoth Cave National Park. The facility is operated by Forever Resorts, which manages concessions at 30 state and national parks around the country.

"It’s a real opportunity for us to educate the public. Of course, preserving the environment and protecting the ground water is very important to us. We use biodegradable laundry detergent. We have recycle bins everywhere and signs in the guest rooms reminding guests to turn off the lights and TV when they leave. We’re fortunate to have very good drinking water, so we serve our own water in pitchers for meetings. We have had groups choose us for a meeting because we are environmentally friendly. It’s been minimal, but it’s growing."

Oretta Tarkhani, director of event and conference services for the Washington-based World Resources Institute, said that, in her experience, many businesses are still lagging behind when it comes to requesting green meetings or events. "It’s picking up a bit, but holding environmentally correct events isn’t top on priority lists for meeting goals. I think it is mainly up to meeting planners to ask for these services at their respective venues."

Michelle White, manager of environmental affairs for Fairmont Hotels, agreed. "Consumers are increasingly more environmentally conscious and want to ‘do the right thing’ and leave behind the smallest possible ecological footprint. To that end, steadily increasing numbers of individual travelers are seeking out green accommodations and activities. While cost considerations continue to be a factor for groups, we think that educating planners and meeting support staff on basics like recycling and donating leftover meeting supplies and shipping packages is a good, no-cost place to start."

Many of Fairmont’s U.S. properties, including those in New Orleans and Dallas, have adopted the company’s Green Partnership environmental stewardship program. Green projects at the company’s latest development, Turnberry Isle Resort and Club in North Miami Beach, are just getting under way.

Getting The Word Out

Being green is new for many facilities around the South, and most are just now beginning to promote their environmental consciousness in their print and online marketing materials.

"We’ve been doing this for a while now, and the word is getting out to our clients," Terrell said. "In the last six months, we have heard from more groups interested in green meetings than we have in the previous two or three years. I think we’re turning the corner."

Planners need to know that meeting at a green facility is not necessarily more expensive, Pendleton said. "We will have this information on our website and in our print sales kits. As more facilities promote this feature in their advertising, I believe it will draw environmentally conscious companies. And, as the number of green properties increases, this will become more of a criteria for selecting a meeting location."

Green meetings are on the agenda at the April 2005 conference of the International Association of Conference Centers. Kevin Carter, general manager for Airlie Conference Center, will present a program on greening the conference center. He said he hopes to encourage others to start small. "You don’t have to do it all right away. Anything you do, even the smallest thing, is good if it’s more than you did yesterday."

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