Departures: The Need to Green
Some Things to Think About Until Next Time

By Amy Spatrisano, CMP

The events of 9/11 created an increase in security plans and awareness for meetings. As a result of the Asian tsunami and recent hurricanes, the industry is employing improved disaster plans. Furthermore, these events remind us of our dependence on natural resources, industry and infrastructure and how easily that balance can be disrupted by natural disasters and geopolitical events, as well as climate change and resource depletion.

While security and disaster plans are necessary reactive and tactical responses to immediate and potential occurrences, we can neither prevent these occurrences nor prevent them from deeply affecting our industry. Reactively responding serves only as a temporary solution and does not address the potentially larger issues our industry faces. However, working to change our impact on the environment is something we can do. We can develop a strategic approach and take active steps to make sure we are not contributing to the problem. In fact, it is imperative that we do so.

The hospitality industry has a tremendous sphere of influence because meetings touch so many other industries. Think about how many industries we rely on to produce meetings—there’s energy, transportation, food and accommodations.

We have an extraordinary opportunity to affect change by being proactive, thereby mitigating continued resource problems within our sphere of connections.
Large corporations are already beginning to understand and take on green initiatives as part of their long-range plans. “It is no longer
a zero-sum game—things that are good for the environment are also good for business,” General Electric (GE) Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Immelt said last year. “GE is embarking on this initiative not because it is trendy or moral, but because it will accelerate economic growth.”

GE is a great illustration because it is not necessarily considered an environmentally minded organization, and Immelt admits he’s no environmentalist. Organizations like Nike, Starbucks, Interface Carpets, VNU Expo, Shepard Exposition Services and many more now have sustainability departments or green teams. If you think greening is a perspective that only environmentalists and fringe groups have, think again.

So, what does this have to do with meetings? Everything!

IMEX recently surveyed more than 100 executives about issues affecting planners of association meetings. Global warming was one of the topics. According to the survey, “many managers acknowledge that the meetings industry could do more to respond to the apparent problem of global warming and climate change.” It goes on to state, “ecological thinking in this sector is overdue, and associations have a role to raise awareness of sustain- ability issues.”

From the IMEX environmental focus group of 70 buyers from 11 countries, 74 percent expect the environment to become a bigger issue in the future. This change, they believe, is a result of the media’s attention to environmental issues and a generation with greater education on the matter.

Multibillion-dollar organizations recognize that being proactive about environmental responsibility is essential to survival. If we, too, want to stay a viable and competitive industry, we need to follow suit.

For the complete IMEX survey visit www.imex-frankfurt.com.
 
AMY SPATRISANO, CMP, is a Portland, Ore.-based independent planner, president of the Green Meeting Industry Council and a member of the MPI Oregon Chapter. She can be contacted at amy@meetingstrategiesworldwide.com.