Green Goes Mainstream

They’re a bonus for your employees too. Read on to find out how managers of Human Resources can conserve natural resources——and save money——with meetings that just naturally make participants feel great.

Imagine that you’re attending a meeting or workshop. Your conference room is pleasantly lit with natural light. The handouts are printed with soy inks on both sides of recycled paper. Pitchers of cold drinking water and glass tumblers are placed on the conference tables. Beverages and snacks at your morning break are offered with china coffee mugs and plates. Instead of single-serving packets, sugar and cream are set out in bowls and pitchers. There’s an efficient recycling center where you dispose of leftover food and paper napkins. At the conclusion of your session, you drop your plastic nametag into a collection bin so it can be used again.

Small changes. But they add up to big results.

Consider that the average hotel purchases more products in one week than 100 families typically do in a year. Add to this the products and services used for meetings and events and it’s easy to see why environmentally aware conference centers can have an enormous impact.

Making a Difference for the Planet——and for People
An increasing number of hospitality management companies and lodging/meeting properties are adopting policies to preserve and conserve. A leader in this initiative is The National Conference Center (NCC) in Lansdowne, Virginia, one of the nation’s largest and most technologically advanced centers. NCC recently earned “Green Seal” certification for using environmentally responsible products and practices.

According to John Hawley, NCC’s director of sales and marketing, “Our Center took steps to become Green Seal certified for several reasons. As a large facility (925 guest rooms and 250,000 square feet of function space), we knew we could have a significant impact on the environment——and our bottom line——with energy and water conservation measures. To save energy, for example, we now utilize motion-detection activated lighting in our conference rooms and have installed a new oxidation system that reduces our consumption of hot water, energy and chemicals. Running an ecologically aware facility yields real savings that we can pass along to our customers.”

As host to more than 50,000 conferees annually, The National Conference Center was also focused on finding ways to enhance the experience for its guests. As part of its greening initiatives, the Center now offers organic menu selections in its dining venues, including a dining court with kiosks presenting abundant and healthy cuisine choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Center also features the Black Olive Bar & Grill, a Starbucks® Café and full catering services for special events.

“We know our guests are more aware of health and weight issues these days, and we recognize it can be especially challenging to make healthy choices when traveling for business,” says Hawley. “Offering fresh organic and vegetarian alternatives on our menus, buffets and break stations gives our guests more choices. And the positive feedback we get tells us they really appreciate our efforts in giving them these options.”

Many of the changes The National Conference Center adopted to attain Green Seal certification may be imperceptible to guests. In fact, many are actually “behind the scenes,” such as the environmentally sound choices that conserve energy and water. Some changes, such as using recycled paper products and utilizing recycling stations in conference rooms and business centers, are positive procedures we’re already using in our own homes and offices. Utilizing environmentally friendly cleaning products in guest rooms and laundering linens with biodegradable products may be barely noticeable to guests, but these are changes that ultimately do make a difference to their comfort.

In fact, a “green” guest room can help reduce the stresses that typically accompany us on business trips. Natural cleaning products, non-toxic materials and equipment designed to generate an abundant supply of fresh air create better air quality, resulting in fewer allergies and a good night’s sleep.

Green centers, like The National Conference Center, are also more conscious of creating natural surroundings for relaxation and reflection. The Center’s 110 scenic acres in the rolling Virginia countryside offer refreshing spaces, green vistas and nature trails for running, walking or biking, as well as an on-site ropes course. Inside, the Center’s spaces incorporate natural light, restful color palettes and attractive views of landscaped areas. Serene surroundings like this can dramatically improve both a sense of well-being and productivity during a conference or training session.

Blazing a Trail for the Industry
The National Conference Center is part of ARAMARK Harrison Lodging (AHL), one of the nation’s largest lodging firms with conference centers, hotels, and parks and resort destinations across the country. ARAMARK is setting a new standard for the industry with its PlanetEVERgreen™ environmental management system, a “greening” program that guides every aspect of its operations.

Currently operating at all ARAMARK Parks & Resorts, PlanetEVERgreen influences everything from purchasing to recycling, waste management to transportation, and employee training to guest communication. Future plans call for expanding PlanetEVERgreen initiatives to all ARAMARK lodging properties. As this happens, guests can expect to see even more positive changes when visiting The National Conference Center and other AHL properties.

Guests have already been introduced to innovative future features at Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas, ARAMARK’s popular houseboating destination at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona and Utah. Here ARAMARK’s EcoRoom™ incorporates more than 50 individual environmental and energy-saving enhancements.

An EcoRoom is painted with AFM Safecoat paints that are odor-free and non-allergenic for 99 percent of the population. Traditional coffee service is replaced with a single cup service machine that uses organic, fair trade coffee beans and requires no paper filters or individually packaged coffees. Traditional ice buckets are replaced with Planet Coolers made from entirely recycled materials that guests are welcome to take home with them after their stay. Clock radios operate on batteries that recharge from any light source.

Furnishings are environmentally friendly too. Beds are manufactured with natural rubber latex and organic cotton covers. Countertops, wall and floor tile and carpet are manufactured from recycled materials with processes that reduce energy consumption and air pollution. All furniture is manufactured from reclaimed wood with natural product finishes.

The rooms’ energy management system includes light fixtures made from recycled materials and fitted with fluorescent bulbs. All water fixtures are low flow to reduce water consumption. In-room paper products meet Green Seal certification standards, and cleaning products used in the rooms are Green Seal certified with reduced toxicity, packaging and transportation costs.

“EcoRooms provide the most environmentally preferable characteristics possible,” explains Dean Crane, ARAMARK’s
VP for Environmental Affairs. “One of our goals is to provide an opportunity for guests to export ideas used in the sustainable rooms and use those ideas at their own home or workplace. Guests are given a disk with information on all of the sustainable products in the room, including specifications and vendor information.”

PlanetEVERgreen initiatives are at work beyond ARAMARK’s guest rooms. Their dining venues offer “sustainable cuisine,” which means foods that are most healthful and least harmful to the environment. As a result, menus at ARAMARK Parks dining facilities provide a selection of organic dishes.

Asked about ARAMARK’s commitment to environmental responsibility, Crane replies: “We see this as more than our corporate duty. PlanetEVERgreen is designed to protect and conserve natural resources for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Good Choices Don’t Cost More Green
The concept of “green” destinations is fairly new, and meeting planners may be concerned they will be more expensive than traditional conference centers. On the contrary, as The National Conference Center has learned, the economies of sustainable practices and energy conservation measures are significant.

Whether choices are small or large, savings are measurable. For example, serving condiments in bulk is less expensive than individual serving packages——bulk cream is 62 percent cheaper and bulk sugar 50 percent cheaper than single serving sachets (Meeting Strategies Worldwide, 2002).* And at Seattle’s Washington State Convention & Trade Center, energy efficient lighting saves almost $200,000 a year (Meetings & Conventions, 2004).* Savings that impact the bottom line for a conference venue can translate to extra value for its clients.

When you plan a meeting at The National Conference Center, or any destination where the staff is attuned to environmentally friendly practices, you immediately have resources that can help you conserve materials——and your budget——during your meeting. As an event organizer, rely on the conference planning team for their assistance and expertise. The NCC Conference Planning Team offers the following suggestions:

• Save time and energy by meeting close to home. (Located just 35 miles west of Washington, D.C., NCC is an especially convenient location for corporations and military organizations in the Capitol region.)
• Offer electronic registration for your conference; consider preparing electronic rather than printed handouts.
• Make your welcome gift a useful, eco-friendly item. Numerous websites specialize in such gifts, and many can be personalized.
• Inquire if drinking water in your meeting room can be provided in pitchers instead of individual bottles.
• For catered events, request menus that use local, seasonal produce.
• Ask for assistance in collecting name badge holders and other reusable items at the end of the session. (For an event of 1,300 attendees, reusing name badge holders can save approximately $975 for the event organizer.*)
• Follow up by asking your group if they noticed green meeting features and felt they were worthwhile. Ask if they have suggestions for making such meetings better in the future.
  

Greening Is Gaining Momentum
Every day, companies like ARAMARK Harrison Lodging and properties like The National Conference Center are advancing the way to more sustainable practices in the lodging and meetings business. In the industry as a whole, several groups are providing key leadership roles and providing resources for meeting planners and attendees. You’ll find links to these resources at the end of this article.

The Green Meeting Industry Council was formed in 2003 to improve meeting management practices by promoting environmentally responsible strategies through collaboration among the hospitality industry, corporations, government and community organizations. The Council also promotes green practices globally by offering educational programs in the form of training workshops and online resources. The Council is in the process of partnering with educational institutions to develop an accredited curriculum at the university level for green meetings.

Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the largest association for the meetings profession with more than 19,000 members, features articles and resources about green meetings on its website. MPI set a great example at its January 2006 Professional Education Conference-North America with “Going Green” eco-friendly initiatives. At this conference, MPI worked with the Charlotte Convention Center to recycle, donating signs to local schools and churches for art supplies, donating leftover food to a local food bank, implementing green catering policies for networking events and more.

The Environmental Protection Agency offers a terrific resource with its One-Stop Information Source for Green Meetings on the Internet. This EPA site helps you organize a green event with specific suggestions for planners, conference hosts and suppliers, as well as for attendees.

All of this support helps propel green into the mainstream. And the pioneers, like The National Conference Center and ARAMARK Harrison Lodging, are creating workable models that prove the green meeting concept can contribute to the environment and create a rewarding guest experience. We can join them and do our part in creating this future by making choices that reward green meeting places with our business.

*Statistics courtesy of Green Meeting Industry Council website

Resources: Links to Topics in this Article
The National Conference Center
http://www.ahl-ncc.com

Green Seal Lodging Industry Program
http://www.greenseal.org/programs/lodging.cfm

ARAMARK Harrison Lodging
http://www.aramarkharrisonlodging.com

ARAMARK’s PlanetEVERgreen™ Environmental Management System
http://www.aramarkparks.com/planetgreen.html

Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas
http://www.lakepowell.com/

Green Meeting Industry Council
http://www.greenmeetings.info/

Meeting Professionals International
http://www.mpiweb.org/

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/