There is little doubt that there’s a shift to green in the meetings industry, but perhaps it’s not as universal as observers think. A recent straw poll on meeting news.com found more than a quarter of 50 planners do not plan to implement green tactics or strategies in their meetings this year.
“Anecdotes from planners point to a lack of industry standards and misconceptions as barriers. Some said their firms just have not expressed interest,” said Meeting News.
“I’m not getting doors knocked down for green events,” said Lori Hill, president of Lori Hill Event Productions. “People [think] it costs a lot more money and is too difficult.”
Standards are also difficult to determine and are not accepted everywhere.
While the United Kingdom has created a 34-page national specification for green meetings, called BS 8901, well-known meeting planner Amy Spatrisano said there is no US standard (though the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Meetings Initiative offers information).
“Lack of knowledge and lead time is stopping people,” she said. “There’s still a learning curve.”
Report by David Wilkening
