Exhibitions and events, by their very nature, create waste. Properly managed, exhibitions and events can recycle excess materials and supplies in useful and meaningful ways and they can do so using methods that result in minimized impacts to our environmental. IAEE aims to educate and influence its member organizations in achieving economic and strategic goals while minimizing adverse environmental impacts of the events they produce.

The IAEE Committee on Environmental Responsibility identifies resources and develop best practices that address how to minimize the environmental impact of events globally. These documents will serve as references with which to develop comprehensive resources that will assist exhibition, event organizers and suppliers to the industry in creating more environmental-friendly, “Green” events.

Additionally, organizations can adjust their administrative practices in very simple ways to reduce the environmental impact of their office operations on the environment. The committee will identify, as its first goal, simple steps which organizations can undertake to reduce their impact on the environment.

Key Resources: Green Products

The following web resources touch on the subject of “green” or environmentally conscious meetings:

06.18.2009 For Event Planners: It Is Easy Being Green!

Best Practices: Kallman Worldwide's Green Approach at the Paris Air Show

Trend Watching's March 2009 Eco-Bounty

Marriott Chief Warns About Global Warming

Travel Industry Association's Sustainability Site 

2008 National Hardware Show (R) and Freeman Team Up to Recycle/Divert 88% of Post-Show Materials from Landfills

Freeman's Ongoing Green Effrots

Eco-friendly expo Green West Opens

Is Your Meeting Green Enough?

Tons of Steel, Gravel Recycled from Three-Story Exhibit 

Sustainable Business.com

GreenBuzz: Taking Care of Business

American Airlines Green Initiatives

F.T.C. Kicks Off Green Marketing Hearings 10 January 2008

Exhibitor Magazine Research on “An Inconvenient Booth"
Exhibitor Magazine White Paper "An Inconvenient Booth"

Information on Green Exhibiting from Exhibit Concepts 

It's Not Easy Being Green - Or Is It - an article

Ecospun - Sell Sheet

Ecospun - Presentation

Freeman Rolls Out "Green Carpet"
Freeman Recycles 25 Million Sq. Ft. of Carpet

ARAMARK Convention Centers & Cultural Attractions Expands Environmental Stewardship Efforts

Sample Language for Environmental Clauses in Contracts (as listed on PCMA's Capital Chapter site):
Hotel Environmental Clause
Environmentally Responsible Meeting Clause
Meet Green Minimum Guidelines
Meet Green Contract Language

Sustainable Business Institute Information (as listed on PCMA's Capital Chapter site):
SBI Seal of Sustainabilty Power Point
SBI Seal of Sustainabilty Intro
SBI Seal of Sustainability Overview
SBI Q&A

Green Meetings
http://www.greenmeetings.info/

BBC - New Green Standard for Big Events

Green Meetings Industrial Council Web site
http://www.greenmeetings.info/

Guide to Planning and Conducting Environmentally Aware Meetings and Events Webpage
http://www.peninsula.wednet.edu/conservation/Recycling/green_meetings.htm

October 2007 Issue of Gourmet 365
http://www.thegourmetshow.com/news/oct/ 

MPI’s The Meeting Professional March 2006 issue – “Going Green” cover story
http://www.mpiweb.org/CMS/mpiweb/mpicontent.aspx?id=4923 

Meetings & Conventions – August 2006 issue – “Sustainable Savings”
http://www.meetings-conventions.com/IndividualFeature.aspx?page=3&pageid=57699 

Meetings Industry Megasite – “It’s Not Easy Being Green”
http://www.mimegasite.com/mimegasite/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002463796

MeetingsNet - Green Meetings webpage
http://meetingsnet.com/checklistshowto/green_meetings/

National Recycling Coalition Green Meetings Policy
http://www.resourcesaver.org/file/toolmanager/CustomO16C45F42045.pdf

Oceans Blue Foundation website
http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/

PCMA’s Convene April 2006 issue  - “Zero Waste: Next Step Beyond Recycling”
http://www.pcma.org/resources/convene/archives/displayArticle.asp?ARTICLE_ID=5286

PCMA’s Convene December 2006 issue – “Majora Carter – Not Your Ordinary Environmental Leader”
http://archive.pcma.org/conv/dec06/Convene_Dec%2006_078-083%20Leading%20by%20example%20Carter%20Assessing%20success.pdf

PCMA’s Convene December 2006 issue – “David Suzuki – We Have To Be The Change We Want”
http://archive.pcma.org/conv/dec06/Convene_Dec%2006_070-075%20Leading%20by%20Example%20Suzuki.pdf

PCMA’s Convene December 2006 issue – “Meetings That Don’t Make an Impact (On the Environment, That Is)http://archive.pcma.org/conv/dec06/Convene_Dec%2006_036-066%20Green%20Meetings.pdf

PCMA’s Convene December 2006 Issue – “Too Heavy a Footprint”
http://archive.pcma.org/conv/dec06/Convene_Dec%2006_006%20Behind%20the%20scenes.pdf 

Smart Meetings February 2005 issue – “Eco Meetings”
http://www.smartmtgs.com/Publications/Mag/Archives/Feb2005/Green_Feb05.html

Green Products

CDshowGuides

RCS Green Holder-Less Badge