hosting green meetings (www. bluegreenmeetings.org). ... Green Meetings: Hosting Environmentally Friendly Events ... One way to get participant âbuy inâ is to ...
administrative angles Lynore D. DeSilets, EdD, RN-BC Pamela S. Dickerson, PhD, RN-BC Associate Editors
Green Meetings: Hosting Environmentally Friendly Events abstract Green meetings can have positive environmental impacts, save your organization money, and support community charities. This column provides the basic strategies to host a green meeting. J Contin Educ Nurs 2008;39(9):388-389.
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t seems that every time you turn on the radio or television, someone is mentioning how something is “environmentally friendly” or “green.” But, in a professional setting, what is a green event, why is it important, and how would you initiate it? To understand the environmental impact of professional events, consider single-use plastic water bottles that are provided for meeting participants and the environmental mantra “reduce, reuse, recycle.” It is reported that plastic bottles take 200 years to decompose, so discarding them in the trash to be placed in a landfill is not a good option. Asking participants to reuse bottles throughout an event is not a healthy option because the bottles cannot be adequately cleaned, leading to high bacterial counts. Also, plastic by-products leach into liquid from fractures created in the plastic when single-use plastic bottles are reused (Tugend, 2008). If the bottles are recyclable, as most single-use plastic water bottles are, they are not made into other plastic bottles; the plastic resin is extracted to create a new product (Goodship, 2007; Stewart, 2008). The resin extraction process can require more energy than using virgin plastic to create another bottle 388
(Goodship). Consequently, eliminating single-use plastic bottles and using water pitchers and reusable or compostable cups is the best environmental choice. Furthermore, offering water in a pitcher instead of single-use plastic bottles reduces meeting costs. Green Meeting Resources There are a variety of accessible, web-based resources that can help you plan meetings that reduce waste, save resources, and potentially support communities. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a guide entitled “It’s Easy Being Green!” (www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/ reduce/grn-mtgs) to assist in planning meetings and events that minimize unwanted environmental effects. Oceans Blue Foundation, a charitable environmental organization, provides information about hosting green meetings (www. bluegreenmeetings.org). The “Green Meeting Guide” (www.nursing world.org/MainMenuCategories/ OccupationalandEnvironmental/ environmentalhealth/Environmental Resources.aspx) is a nursing resource from the American Nurses Association (ANA). All of these resources are easy to understand. According to the ANA, goals of green meetings are to minimize toxic materials, decrease the amount of solid waste created, and reduce water and energy use. An environmental benefit is less garbage in landfills, leading to lower trash-hauling costs. An additional benefit of going green
is that your program can support local charities by offering leftover food to soup kitchens or shelters. Supporting a local charity could be a public relations benefit for your organization. Consequently, green practices could ultimately lead to financial savings for your organization and an improved public image. Planning a Green Meeting The EPA’s guide focuses on event planning and evaluation. When planning a green meeting, establish your group’s environmental priorities and establish goals based on the priorities. For example, your group may want to host a waste-free event and use only recyclable or compostable products. If you are just starting out, it may not be possible to achieve all of your goals with the first event. You may, instead, work to reduce the total amount of trash that is generated. With clearly defined environmental goals, you can have incremental successes as your organization moves forward to create greener events. Green meeting guides from the EPA and the ANA have checklists that can support the planning process. Gain the support of your management as well as any sponsors. Communicate your environmentally friendly goals to all parties involved in the event, including the facility team, event organizers, speakers, meeting participants, caterers, and vendors. This gives everyone the opportunity to understand the expectations as they participate in the established environmentally friendly
The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing · September 2008 · Vol 39, No 9
practices. If you are able to select the meeting venue, choose one that has “greened” the facility with energyefficient rooms, low water-use bathrooms, and green furnishings and cleaning practices. Ask the facility team to reduce energy expenditure by turning lights and technological support off when not in use and keeping room temperatures comfortable. Inform vendors of the expectation to provide products with minimal packaging and, when reasonable, use products that can be reused or recycled. If food will be served, request that it be served on platters and use reusable or compostable plates and utensils. Request that food be minimally wrapped. Consider beverage dispensers with reusable cups, instead of individual plastic bottles or cans. You may be pleasantly surprised when you find out what is available. I recently discovered that my university’s dietary service has a specific room that is used to store food waste that will be composted or recycled locally, and that many food packaging materials are composted. Communicating your green efforts is also an opportunity for other disciplines to understand that nursing professionals are concerned about the environment. The ANA suggests that participants’ access to public transportation be considered when planning a conference or meeting. Registration information should provide public transportation routes and contact information for the transportation service. One way to get participant “buy in” is to offer some “environmentally friendly competition” (e.g., incentives such as prizes or recognition for those who have traveled the furthest using public transportation). You could recognize those participants
who traveled in hybrid vehicles by offering preferential parking. If your group meets frequently, consider whether it is always necessary to meet in-person. Perhaps the group’s objectives can be achieved via telephone or videoconferencing to reduce vehicle emissions created by group members traveling long distances. Use electronic promotion with several e-mail notices to professional organizations or individual e-mail addresses to advertise the event. Ask professional organizations or special interest groups to post your event on their website. The ANA recommends online registration. Online registration reduces paper use and mailing and printing costs. Preregistration provides a better estimate of the number of participants and minimizes waste by offering only enough print materials and refreshments for that number. Use of Resources Minimize the amount of printed material that is available in planning and during the meeting. Consider what can be placed on a website or CD. When purchasing print or other meeting materials, select reusable products or products with recycled content and products that have minimal or no packaging. Be sure that both sides of the paper are used for printed materials. At the beginning of your event, remind everyone of the green expectations and how to be effective green meeting participants. Point out placement of recycling bins and what to do with remaining food, if composting will be available. Be sure the recycling bins are placed strategically in relation to the source of the products to be recycled. Signs can alert everyone to placement and use of each bin.
The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing · September 2008 · Vol 39, No 9
Evaluate and Share Your Efforts When the meeting has ended, ask the participants for their input on your greening efforts. This is an opportunity to learn what worked well and how to improve your efforts; additionally, you may get new ideas that had not previously been considered. Speak to caterers, facility representatives, management, and vendors for their input. A follow-up e-mail to all participants with the outcome of their green efforts can validate the experience and everyone’s effort. For example, you can share with the participants the amount of glass, paper, and plastic recycling that was achieved and convert it to reduction of landfill waste and cost of trash hauling. Inform the participants of how much food was donated to local shelters or food banks and any new green ideas that came out of the evaluation process. Finally, share what you have learned. The Luminary Project, an initiative of the Nurses Workgroup of Health Care Without Harm, is a web-based resource in which nurses can register their environmental initiatives to share with others (www. theluminaryproject.org). Green meetings are evolving and your group can be part of this environmental stewardship evolution. References Goodship, V. (2007). Plastic recycling. Science Progress, 90(4), 245-268. Stewart, R. (2008). Going green: Eco-friendly materials and recycling on the growth paths. Plastics Engineering, 64(1), 16-23. Tugend, A. (2008, January 5). The (possible) perils of being thirsty while being green. The New York Times, p. 5. Ruth McDermott-Levy, PhD, RN College of Nursing Villanova University Villanova, Pennsylvania
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