EPA's Green Meetings / Conference Initiative

What green meetings/hotels work do they do? The goal of this initiative is to develop a "one-stop shopping" location at which meeting planning and service providers are able to learn about information on the topic of green meetings. The information is meant to help planners to request and suppliers to provide green options for meeting planning. The web site includes: a checklist of opportunities that when applied, minimize the environmental impacts of holding meetings; contract language for obtaining "greener" conference planning/support services; and links to information on other related initiatives.

An interactive web-based tool will be developed through a grant to the Oceans Blue Foundation that will provide a chronological planning format for organizing green conferences and meetings. A step by step planners guide will allow event organizers to incorporate greening practices into their planning stages, reminding them when and how to attain the "greenest" event possible.

http://www.epa.gov

Oceans Blue Foundation (OBF) - Blue Green Meetings

Oceans Blue Foundation/La Fondation Oceans Bleus (Canada) (OBF) is a Canadian Environmental Charitable Organization established in 1996 to help conserve coastal (blue and green - or marine and terrestrial) environments through environmentally responsible tourism. They are the first organization in North America to focus on developing and promoting best practices and standards for all sectors of the tourism industry. This included the development of guidelines for blue and green meetings. Oceans Blue Foundation was the first to develop guidelines for green meetings and has since developed a primer which is intended to provide an introduction to the application of environmentally sustainable principles within the meetings and conventions industry. www.bluegreenmeetings.org

International Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus - Sustainable Tourism

The International Association of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (IACVB) represents over 1,100 professional members from over 480 bureaus in 30 countries. The association was founded in 1914 to promote sound professional practices in the solicitation and servicing of meetings and conventions. IACVB's member bureaus represent all significant travel/tourism-related businesses at the local and regional level. They also serve as the primary contact point for their destination for a broad universe of convention, meeting, and tour professionals.

www.iacvb.org