What do I have to do to call my meeting or event green? Is there any industry accepted certification for green meetings that I can apply for? What kind of criteria does my facility need to meet in order to be called green?
How do you know if you are green enough? What is that one clear measurement you can turn to that will demonstrate to investors, customers and employees that you are committed to sustainability? What is the role of government and industry in setting the standards? Ultimately, how can you be involved?
ASTM, APEX & GMIC and Why You Should Care
The meetings and events industry does not currently have an industry-wide accepted standard for green meetings and events. The solution is being addressed by a collaborative, voluntary consensus, standards development process between ASTM (the U.S. EPA approved standards development organization), the Convention Industry Council’s APEX, and the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC).
The purpose of the standard is to:
• Enable the meetings industry (suppliers and planners) to ask the right questions;
• Reward success and encourage improvement;
• Outline the performance standard and define what practice is needed, and to what degree (i.e. recycling);
• Help people make decisions;
• Help people measure;
• Enable certification of the standard;
• Fit within the way of doing business by the industry;
• Recognize the global nature of the meeting industry; and
• Identify a minimum standard to be called “green.”
The standards process seeks to gain a balanced perspective from both meeting planners and suppliers to fully assess what it means to plan and provide green meetings and events.
Background of the Organizations
ASTM International (originally known as the American Society of Testing and Materials) is a standards developing organization for all major industries. Because of its voluntary consensus building process for standards development, the ASTM is the U.S. EPA’s choice for green meeting standards development.
At the same time that the U.S. EPA contacted ASTM, the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practice Exchange (APEX) was working on a way to address green meetings standards before regulation. The question of whether or not it is possible for industry and government to collaborate on the standards development process was raised.
The short answer was “yes.” GMIC was instrumental in bringing these two parties together (ASTM and APEX) to ensure there was not a duplication of efforts with the standards building process and that industry and government goals would align.
“The desire was to have a collaborative process between APEX and the ASTM,” says Amy Spatrisano, president of GMIC and chair of the APEX Green Meeting and Events Practice Panel. Both organizations are committed to moving this process forward.”
Today, there is a signed memorandum of understanding between ASTM and APEX that outlines the voluntary consensus process and the outcomes of standards developed for the industry that will be approved by the U.S. EPA and accepted by the meetings industry.
How Can the Industry Become Involved?
The mission of the APEX Green Meeting and Events Practices Panel is “to develop best practices and voluntary standards that can be implemented to create a more environmentally responsible meeting or event.” The panel includes representation from the U.S. EPA and GMIC, along with other industry experts from universities, exhibition companies and meeting organizations.
The panel oversees nine sub-committees that address the areas of: accommodations, venues, transportation, food and beverage, exhibition, destinations, a/v, communications and onsite office. The subcommittees are charged to generate content and feedback on APEX processes. There are currently more than 250 names included in the subcommittee process. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact amy@meetingstrategiesworldwide.com. The target goal for the first phase and presentation of the standards to ASTM is spring of 2009.
GMIC supports an inclusive industry process that is based on accepted definitions, standards, voluntary consensus and is backed by the major industry organizations. As members of the Convention Industry Council, we support the APEX/ASTM standards development process for green meetings and events.
When asked when GMIC will implement its certification system, Spatrisano said, “As an organization we have opted to wait until the standards are developed before creating a certification system for green meetings that is industry approved and accredited. We expect this process to be complete sometime next year.”
GMIC will remain at the forefront in encouraging industry participation in the development of the accepted standards. Our goal is to be clear about the standards and then encourage planners and suppliers to become certified based upon them.
Tamara Kennedy-Hill is executive director of GMIC. The Council is the leading, global green meeting organization and is a member of the Convention Industry Council. GMIC is a nonprofit membership-based organization, established in 2003, that is committed to the long range goal of sustainability in the meetings industry. The Green Meeting Industry Council is comprised of planners and suppliers who are committed to the integrity of advancing green meeting practices. For GMIC, “sustainability is our vision, corporate responsibility is our obligation and green meetings are our strategy.”
For more information on GMIC, contact tamara@greenmeetings.info or visit www.greenmeetings.info.
