Taking Action Toward Sustainable Meetings

Despite disturbing evidence of climate change, sustainable meeting and event practices still aren’t prevalent in North America. In Europe and Asia, however, government mandates and other factors have made sustainable operations a more universal priority, revealed the first global Northstar/Cvent Meetings Industry PULSE Survey, released in March. North America lags its EMEA counterparts on almost every measure, including efforts to minimize waste, reduce carbon footprints and include sustainability requirements in RFPs.

That doesn’t mean Western planners aren’t concerned. The International Sustainability Report, released in January by the International Congress and Convention Association in collaboration with Destination Canada, found that 71 percent of the 248 meeting professionals surveyed, a global mix of planners and suppliers, consider sustainability extremely or very important to their organizations.

The missing link might be expertise, budget, executive support or other factors. But concerned planners can take the initiative to improve the environmental impact of their meetings and events. Following is advice from industry professionals.

Be the driving force

Sustainability is such a grand, overarching topic, it’s easy to overlook one essential element of making meetings more green: how it feels to accomplish these goals, how these practices can add deeper meaning to the day-to-day process of planning events.

It’s important to recognize that event planners are uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change in every aspect of the work. Whether reducing food waste, protecting the local environment or promoting community efforts within your organization and in the destinations you choose, the positive impact you can make on both people and the planet can be a source of pride and satisfaction.

“As event professionals, we work in a pressure cooker all the time,” says Shawna McKinley, a longtime sustainability consultant and educator, and principal of Clear Current Consulting. “[Going green] can be a really challenging process, a bit of a fish swimming upstream sometimes. I think that well of your commitment and your values is something that you need to tap into on a daily basis.”

McKinley suggests getting to know the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals to help focus your efforts. Among them are ideals directly relevant to events, such as responsible consumption and production, equitable and quality education, and water and energy conservation.

“Sustainability isn’t just environmental — it’s social, it’s economic,” says Michele Fox, founder of MUSE (Members United for Sustainable Events), a community of like-minded event professionals working to make sustainable events the norm by providing best practices, resources and support. “We don’t need one person doing it perfectly,” she adds. “We need a million people doing it imperfectly.”

Find a mentor

Working as an independent planner, Fox’s early forays into green meetings began with an “aha” moment in 2019 while working on an event where sustainability was a top priority for the client. Seeing firsthand how deeply the practice was embedded into that organization’s processes was a turning point for her.

“There was actually a director of sustainability on that project,” she remembers. “After that, I started reaching out to people globally to find resources and groups who also were working on this.”

Since then, Fox has built MUSE to be a hub for peer-to-peer learning and best practices in sustainability. 

McKinley notes that green meetings are spawning exciting niche areas of specialization for event professionals. “If you’re geeky about A/V and power,” she says, “there are specialists that you can learn from in this movement. If you’re really passionate about food donation, feeding people, food-and-beverage planning, and sustainable food and carbon footprinting, you can go down that path.”

Even if you’re passionate about materials, and what goes into building an exhibit booth and how that can be done in a more sustainable way, there are like-minded professionals willing to share best practices.

“There are so many experts, it’s kind of this feeling that the more you know, the less you know,” McKinley adds. “So I would highly recommend finding those mentors in those niche areas, because there’s no end to the learning.”

Create your own community

Embarking on the sustainability journey can be overwhelming, given the multitude of factors to consider — from food waste and transportation to energy usage, exhibits and venue operations.

“Take a deep breath,” advises McKinley. “Instead of looking at it just by yourself and thinking about the things that you care about, I would stop and listen, and just do some scanning within your organization, with your event team, to learn about things that maybe they’ve noticed or picked up on about the event.”

She suggested focusing on one simple issue at first, such as addressing inefficiencies in buffet setups that contribute to food waste. By tackling manageable tasks, celebrating small wins, and adding new practices each time, planners can build the momentum and the confidence to take on more significant challenges.

Collaboration also is key, whether through mentorship programs like those offered by MUSE, or forming internal “green teams” that bring together stakeholders from across your department and organization. Who created your group’s sustainability policy? If there isn’t one, can you gather colleagues from your own or different departments to start the ball rolling? 

Sustainability is an important brand asset

Creating a sustainable event culture requires buy-in from all stakeholders, including clients, venues, vendors and attendees. And leadership plays a crucial role in setting the tone and fostering an environment where ideas can be shared openly, without fear of judgment.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get away from having to make the case,” McKinley explains. “I think, though, that there has been a real change since the pandemic.... We also have an outside pressure [to be green] that we’re now having to react to.”

One effective strategy for making that case, she notes, is to tap into your organization’s desire to create a meaningful human impact. By framing sustainability efforts in terms of tangible benefits to local communities, such as providing meals through food-donation programs, planners can capture leadership’s attention and secure buy-in more effectively.

Fox echoed this sentiment, suggesting that planners can position sustainability as a brand asset and competitive advantage. “What if you go to your leadership and say, ‘If our clients ask us to make this event sustainable, will we be ready?’” suggests Fox. Planners need to be ready to say, “Of course we are. We’re already doing it. Here’s what we’re doing.”

Measure your footprint

One of McKinley’s favorite topics is carbon, typically one of the most complex facets of sustainability. She wonders: What if, instead of asking “What is the business case for sustainable events,” planners start by quantifying the external cost of continuing business as usual?

“Could it change the way we look at events as opportunities?” she adds. “Help us communicate the benefits of different and new ways of doing things? See our event roles in new ways? Change how and where we meet? Increase our ambition to reduce emissions?”

To begin quantifying that cost, there are a variety of tools available to planners that assist in measuring their events’ carbon usage. Here are two:

• Trace was created by ISLA, a U.K. nonprofit founded by event professionals, which focuses on the industry’s sustainable future. The tool helps organizations measure and minimize carbon usage in real-time at live, hybrid and digital events. The starter version costs about US$170 a year, and the pro version is about US$320 a year — pretty affordable numbers.

“For a low cost, you get a really, really comprehensive report,” says Fox, who adds that most of the data is being input by your vendors. “You’ll find that this is not scary.”

• Purpose Net Zero measures the highest emissions committed by events, sports, concerts, conventions and production: the unavoidable 70 to 90 percent that is related to people traveling to gatherings. Contact the organization for a demo, a possible free trial, the tool’s pricing and to learn more.

Less robust online calculators come in a wide variety, such as My Event Footprint from MeetGreen, one of the earliest event-production firms to embrace sustainability in all elements of its event-management practices. My Event Footprint allows all meetings participants — from stakeholders to attendees — to see the impact of their decisions when heading out for a meeting.

“For event organizers, attendees and sustainability professionals, My Event Footprint makes generating sustainability facts easy and fun,” says Nancy J. Zavada, president of the Portland, Ore.-based MeetGreen, which was founded in 1994. “Whether convening 5 or 5,000, this web-based app helps to drive decisions and quantifies data into a story you can share. Making an impact on your event and the world around you starts with how you travel, what you pack for your trip, and even the food choices at every meal — it all adds up.”

Listen to more from Shawna McKinley and Michele Fox on the recent Northstar Meetings Group webinar, Your Role in Sustainable Meetings, which was sponsored by the Palm Beaches, Fla.