IACC
It IS easy being sustainable
IACC CEO MARK COOPER’S REUSABLE CUP RUNNETH OVER WITH IDEAS
FOR VENUES TO RAISE THEIR SUSTAINABLE MEETINGS GAME
ustainability is key for our
planet’s survival and the
meetings industry has an
extremely important role
when leading the business into the future.
To attract clients and delegates, venues
have no other choice than to be more
conscious of their environmental footprint
and the effects their day-to-day practices
could have on the environment. We owe it
to our children and future staff , who will
demand it from their employers.
You have to start with yourself.
Personally, I have vowed to lead a more
sustainable lifestyle starting with simple
changes to my daily routine. I now use a
reusable cup for both water and hot drinks
on the go, I walk or cycle short journeys
rather than drive, and I have become
much more conscious of the products I
purchase at the supermarket, reducing the
amount of single-use plastic I use.
Sustainability was a natural choice for
this year’s IACC Europe Knowledge
Festival where our campfire sessions
focused on different aspects of
sustainability, from how to get started
with sustainable events, to food and
beverage and climate change, delivered by
our keynote speaker and climate and
environmental activist, Nic Balthazar.
Nic’s session “Change climate change!”
encouraged attendees to take a step back
from their personal thoughts and see it as
a fun and creative topic. We had some
incredible conversations about how we, as
an industry, can make sustainability an
easier topic to digest, as well as the simple
changes we can all make.
Of course, being sustainable isn’t just
about using less plastic or reducing
carbon emissions. Tracy Stuckrath,
Consultant at Thrive Meetings & Events,
used her session to show how we can
become more sustainable with our food
and drink choices. Tracy delved into the
positive effects on the environment of
buying local produce, fair trade products
and serving fresh and seasonal food. It’s
often the small things that make the
biggest impacts.
I’m sure there are small changes that
most venues could make to help
operations become more sustainable. One
of these is the eradication of minimum
food and beverage spend, which
encourages over-ordering. We must
replace the bad habits that have formed
over many years.
The future
We have reached out to our member
venues and asked them how they thought
sustainability could affect the future of the
meetings industry.
We had some fantastic responses, but
there was one answer that kept
reoccurring – the need for smarter and
greener venues.
In 2007, we established our IACC Code
of Sustainability, which we update
regularly to ensure it is in keeping of the
latest initiatives and practices. Our
current code includes 60 principles in the
following areas: Education, Awareness and
Public Declaration; Waste Management;
Recycling; Reuse; Water Conservation;
Purchasing; Energy Management; Air
Quality; Food & Beverage.
By signing the IACC Code of
Sustainability our members agree to
support our Environmental Policy.
Source: 7 Simple Ways To Make Your
Events More Sustainable by IACC.
Read the full article on the IACC blog –
www.iaccmeetings.com
adopt a green
approach
Alongside the code we also have our
Green Star Certification for venues. The
venues can achieve platinum, gold and
silver status dependent on their initiatives
and scores against our Code of
Sustainability.
While sustainability can feel like a
mammoth topic, it’s also exciting to know
you’re making a difference, however
small. We suggest starting simple. Here
are a few quick ways to get started with
sustainable events.
1) Choose eco-friendly venues – most
venues promote their initiatives so they
should be easy to find. At IACC we
showcase venues that have achieved
Green Star Certification by tier on our
environmental initiatives page. There are
also different national eco-labels,. Make
sure the venue you choose for your
meeting has at least one of those.
2) Reduce the transportation footprint –
choose a bus that runs on biofuel for the
group when travelling to the chosen
venue, or maybe even encourage attendees
to walk or cycle to the venue rather than
using taxis when possible? You can make
it a fun activity and even reward the
person who has covered the most miles by
using public transport walking or cycling
with a prize.
3) Look for venues that offer a sustainable
checklist that
supports your
planning for a
sustainable
meeting.
It really is easy
being sustainable.
improve your event’s
green credentials
choose eco-friendly
venues
opt for sustainably-
designed meeting
spaces
reduce the
transportation
footprint
cut down on food
waste
go paperless
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