More Tips to Green Your Meeting

TeamBuilding Unlimited is a member of Green Meetings. As a member, we're always looking for more tips and ways to make our meetings and events green. Sacramento Convention Center’s Tips for Hosting Sustainable Meetings

• Choose a sustainable venue that recycles, donates food, incorporates locally grown produce and organic food into its menus.

• Choose a venue that is rich in ambiance, featuring floor to ceiling windows, great year round outdoor seating, stunning art work and sculptures throughout, thus requiring less decorations or enhancements which can help to save you money and reduce your carbon footprint.

• Opt to use china and linen or biodegradable plates, cups and flatware.

• Conserve paper by posting event materials to your web site or distributing them on flash drives.

• Purchase name badges that are reusable and collect them at the end of the meeting for use at the next one.

• Avoid dating promotional items and reuse overages at future meetings.

• Have water served from pitchers rather than plastic bottles.
• Encourage attendees to enjoy environmentally friendly activities including walks around the hotel or meeting site.
• Encourage exhibitors to bring a realistic amount of promotional materials. Have them recycle unused portions rather than dispose of them.
• Encourage exhibitors to use environmentally friendly packing materials (i.e. cardboard).
• Do not provide handouts for the educational sessions. Instead place handouts on a website or on a thumb drive.

• Send confirmations and information electronically.

• Do not provide printed agendas. Instead have a dedicated monitor at the registration desk, or post agenda on electronic boards.

• Request healthy meals using locally grown or organic food.

• Any printed paper accumulated during the event should be recycled.

• Ask the host property not to provide pads and paper during the educational sessions.

• Collect name badge holders for recycling and reuse at all other events throughout the year.

• All event signage should be recycled and/or reused. Stay away from polystyrene or petrochemicals in décor, packaging, or signage.

• Event bags should be made from recyclable material, which can be reused after the event for groceries, etc.

• Have a solid count of attendees to avoid wasteful over spending and excess.

• If handouts are necessary, have them printed on both sides of the paper.

• Partner with a local charity or community/environmental project and collect funds through a raffle.

• Choose venues that are recognized as green properties.

Have any other ideas? Please comment!