Taiga Company

Bringing people together for meetings, often for multiple days at a time, can create a "host" of environmental impacts—from the smog and greenhouse gas emissions associated with air and ground travel to the paper, plastic, and food waste associated with feeding attendees.  In fact, Marriott Hotels, estimates that the average three-day meeting attended by 1,000 people produces more than 12 tons of trash, uses 200,000 kilowatts of power and consumes 100,000 gallons of water.
 
An aspect of business sustainability is making informed choices regarding green meeting planning.  This includes everything from site selection to meeting materials to catering.   Every eco action can significantly reduce the environmental impact of the event.  According to recent research, more than two-thirds of meeting professionals take environmental considerations into account when planning their conferences.  How are they doing this? By keeping eco awareness at the forefront of their decision making.   Within our professional consulting practice, we advise clients to consider the following areas in planning a meeting with eco awareness:
 

• Waste management and recycling
• Water conservation
• Energy efficiency

 
As eco awareness has expanded, more small business resources are available to help extend sustainability concepts into the planning process.  We mention quite a few resources in our business sustainability consulting.   However, for the serious planner, participation in the Green Meeting Industry Council is a must.  The Green Meeting Industry Council   is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization. It  s a membership-based professional organization which provides educational resources to planners, suppliers, and venues seeking to meet the ever-rising standards consumers set for sustainable meetings.  Specific resources of interest include:
 

• Carbon Offsets and Event Calculators
• Green Lodging
• Books, Tips, Publications for Green Meeting and Events
• Sustainable Tourism Organizations and Initiatives:

 
In our professional consulting in the area of business sustainability, we share with clients that planning or supplying a green meeting gives a business a competitive edge, a great reputation, and can save time and money in the process.