Meeting professionals who want to learn more about social responsibility issues can find a full conference on the topic in February when the Green Meeting Industry Council convenes for its 2009 Greening the Hospitality Industry conference in Pittsburgh. (Visit www.greenmeetings.info for details.) If you can't wait, most of the industry associations have CSR and green sessions in their lineup.

• The Professional Convention Management Association's “On the Go” webinar series has several green sessions available:

  • The Paperless Meeting

  • State of Green Meetings 2008 Visit the “Education” link at www.pcma.org and click on Live Learning Center.

• The National Business Travel Association has two CSR sessions planned for its July 27-30 International Convention & Exposition in Los Angeles:

  • An Introduction to the NBTA Corporate Social Responsibility Toolkit

  • Carbon Offsets as Part of an Environmental Management Program

• Meeting Professionals International's World Education Congress August 9-12 in Las Vegas has six relevant sessions:

  • Green Standards and Certifications

  • Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Your Event by Choosing Greener Destinations

  • Certification of Sustainable Events

  • Elevating the Conversation: Corporate Social Responsibility Trends and Strategies

  • Best Practices for Environmentally Friendly Ground Transportation

  • One of the MPI book clubs will discuss Green to Gold: How Smart Companies Use Environmental Strategy to Innovate, Create Value, and Build Competitive Advantage.

Awards

Get Recognized

The Professional Convention Management Association has added an Environmental Leadership Award to its 2008 PCMA Achievement and Recognition Awards. The honor can go to an individual or an organization that demonstrates environmental leadership. The winner will have detailed environmental policies and a strategy to execute them. Nominations are being accepted through July 31. For details on this and other PCMA awards, go to www.pcma.org/awards.