As reported recently, eight of the nine ASTM International standards for sustainable or “green” events are now available for purchase from ASTM (for either $40 or $46 per standard). Our industry has been waiting about five years for the voluntary standards. The eight areas covered include: ASTM E2741, destinations; ASTM E2742, exhibits; ASTM E2743, transportation; ASTM E2745, audio visual (A/V) and production; ASTM E2746, communication and marketing materials; ASTM E2747, on-site offices; ASTM E2773, food and beverage; and ASTM E2774, meeting venues. Still not ready is the ninth standard on accommodations (ASTM WK22056).
Within each standard are eight categories of criteria: staff management policy, communications, waste management, energy, air quality, water, procurement, and community partners. Each category is further split into four progressive levels of achievement. A supplier, for example, could meet all Level 1 criteria and then that event would be considered environmentally sustainable at Level 1.
In this column I will briefly summarize ASTM E2741, Standard Specification for Evaluation and Selection of Destinations for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows, and Conferences. In future columns I will fill you in on the remaining eight standards.
ASTM E2741 was written for meeting planners, host destinations (e.g., city or region) and suppliers (e.g., destination marketing organizations or convention and visitor bureaus).
Example of Level 1 Requirement
One example of a Level 1 requirement for a meeting planner under “Air Quality” is that the planner include a clause in the destination RFP that requires a response on whether a community has sustainable transportation. One example of a Level 1 requirement for a supplier under “Procurement” is that the supplier establish criteria for purchasing environmentally preferable products, which shall be outlined in a sustainable procurement policy. The criteria shall consider price and quality, environmental impact, and ethics/reputation of the vendor.
Theoretically, an event would become more sustainable as an increasing number of Level 1 criteria are met, Level 2 criteria are met, etc. One example of a Level 2 requirement for a meeting planner under “Energy” is that the planner shall be able to produce documentation to verify that the destination selected represents the fewest air or ground transportation miles among those options considered. An example of a Level 2 requirement for a supplier under “Waste Management” is that the destination achieve an average diversion rate of 10 percent for municipal recycling. (Level 4 event would have a much more significant diversion rate of 50 percent.)
As mentioned earlier, ASTM E2741 and the other eight standards are voluntary. Perhaps the authors of ASTM E2741 said it best in their introduction to the standard: “This specification offers a way to address environmental sustainability in the meeting and event industry. It is a tool for event planners and suppliers to understand the attributes of an environmentally sustainable event. The goal in developing this specification is to establish common benchmarks for environmental performance in events for both planner and supplier sectors. This specification considers the creation of an environmentally sustainable event to be a partnership between planners and their suppliers. Each plays a critical role in the effort.”
If you run a lodging establishment with significant meeting space or have any stake in the meetings process, I strongly encourage you to acquire and study the new ASTM standards. You have got to be ready to speak the same language as those with whom you do business. How quickly the standards permeate our industry will be interesting to watch. I would love to hear from you with your reactions to them. I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com or (440) 243-2055.
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