Green Meeting Standards a Go

ASTM International and the Environmental Protection Agency have taken a major step toward creating universal standards for green meetings. On February 14, about 25 stakeholders, including representatives from the Convention Industry Council and the Green Meeting Industry Council, attended an organizational webconference held by ASTM, at which they voted that the organization should move forward with standards development under the formal title of “ASTM International Activity on Green Meetings & Events.”

The EPA has been leading the green meetings charge by acting as a model with its own internal meetings and developing a Green Meetings/Conference Initiative with resources for meeting planners, including a green meeting checklist and suggested contract language for planners. In October, the agency held a meeting with ASTM in its Washington, D.C., offices to learn more about developing an objective standard for the EPA’s procurement specialists to apply to the goods and services they purchase for the government, including meeting space.

Although the Convention Industry Council’s Green Meeting Task Force developed best practices for green meetings in 2003, the government requires its agencies to use standards developed through an open “voluntary collaborative” process, which prompted the meeting with ASTM. ASTM is a nonprofit voluntary standards development organization that has created more than 12,000 standards used in dozens of industries in more than 60 countries. ASTM is in talks with CIC to collaborate on this effort, though it’s unclear who would “own” the standards once they’re developed; ASTM would charge for access to them.

A meeting was held February 18 in Vancouver, British Columbia, the day before the opening of the Green Meeting Industry Council’s 2008 Greening the Hospitality Industry Conference.

The standards development activities are open to all interested stakeholders. For more information, contact Pat A. Picariello, director, developmental operations, ASTM, at ppicarie@astm.org.

         Subscribe in NewsGator Online   Subscribe in Bloglines

Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

Meetings Collaborative

Rate your experience with meeting venues and suppliers.

Facility / Hotel

 
Powered by: Meetings Collaborative

The Meeting Planning Blog

Face2Face Latest Posts

Webinars

What Meeting Planners Need to Know to Manage E-Meetings

July 31, 2008 at 2pm EST

Virtual meetings save time and money, get a thumbs-up from the “green” crowd, and offer new ways for companies and organizations to communicate, market, and sell. It’s time for meeting managers to start booking and managing them.

Register Now


View Archived Webinars

Apex Webinars


Join a group of senior planners in a panel discussion to review industry best practices you can use to implement your own strategic meetings management program. The free APEX webinar is organized by MeetingsNet and the Convention Industry Council, and sponsored by Palace Resorts. The next webinar is scheduled for September. Please check back for more information.

CVB Supplement 2008

The Changing Face of CVBs

Featuring:
*Changing Face of CVB's
*CVB's Go Green

·Go to Digital Edition

Back to Top

Explore Our Newsletters

On Medical Meetings

Meeting Planner Survival Guide

NEW & IMPROVED! Whether you're a novice planner or a veteran, this compilation of must-read articles is your meeting planning resource.

Suppliers/
Facilities/CVBs

MeetingsNet makes it easy to find the CVBs, tourist boards, and facilities you need for your next meeting.

Deals &
Discounts

Special group hotel offers brought to you by MeetingsNet.

Find A Job

Targeted to all aspects of the hospitality and special events industry.

Education
Central

Upcoming Events, Live and Online

Inside Current Issue

June 2008 Cover

June 2008

April 2008 Medcial Meetings

March 2007

MTNGS Cover

January 2008

MTNGS Cover

September 2007

MTNGS Cover

July 2007

Browse Back Issues