California Green Meetings Summit Hosts

Inn Marin, a 70-room property near Northern California’s famed Wine Country, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with the “green giants” of the meetings industry.  With this star-studded “cast,” the Green Meetings – Making It Real summit featured presentations from some of the most respected environmental “cheerleaders” in the industry and attracted over 150 of the Bay Area’s top meeting professionals. The cast of characters: L. Hunter Lovins, JD – Founder/President of Natural Capitalism, Inc. and Natural Capitalism Solutions Dana Marshall, CMP, CMM - Meetings Defined Linda Mansouria, CMP, CMM – Cisco Julie Lindsay - The Gap Robert Marshall - Inn Marin Peter Schmitt, CMP - Silver Oak Winery Eve Schmitt, CMP, CEM - VMware Paul Salinger – Oracle Sue Klick – Medtronic Brendan Lange - Cappa & Graham Stephen Silva - Melon’s Catering Kathy Newby - Classic Party Rentals In addressing the key components of the Green Meetings – Making It Real conference, it seems these experts agree that what started out only a few short years ago as simple awareness, reduction of the carbon footprint and cost-cutting measures has now evolved, in a very short time, to key corporate initiatives and best practices. And going forward, the message is clear.  Getting green, staying green and building towards greener “pastures” is all about education and collaboration.  As a matter of fact, moderator Dana Marshall launched her panel exclaiming, “Collaboration is key!” Paul Salinger expanded on that premise, claiming “The goal is to reduce our impact on the environment and we do this by partnering together with all our vendors, asking questions and making decisions that have the greatest positive effect.”  In his role as Vice President of Marketing for Oracle, Paul is responsible green elements and content for the world’s largest technology conference of its type, attracting over 40,000 for its annual San Francisco conference.  In only three years, the company, in collaboration with its vendors and partners, has been focused on responding to APEX (Accepted Practices Exchange) for Green Meetings and Events  standards and has grown from ratings of 34% in 2007 to 64% in 2008 by the Meet Green Metrics and is focused on reaching 80% in 2009. Whether it be on a grand (Oracle-style) scale or even at a more nominal level, Paul and his colleagues in the meetings industry are making it real.  Below is a recap of their recommendations. Strategy/Education: -   Look for and work with suppliers that have third party accreditation. -   Choose destinations (like San Francisco) that are green by nature. -   Hire a green consultant to help save time, money and the environment. -   Educate partners about how they can make adjustments (large and small) that lessen their impact on the environment (ie: serving water in glasses from pitchers as opposed to bottled water). -   Enlighten consumers/attendees about what they can do to support planners and facility efforts. -   As a planner, include green components in RFPs. (According to Linda Mansouria, Cisco’s team developed guidelines for their hotel partners and is receiving response and compliance from 95% of their vendors.  Sample questions include inquiries about food donation programs, in-house recycling, reduction of harmful chemicals, cutlery made of recycled materials, what ISO (??) certification does the property have, etc.) -   Focus on the positive social, environmental and financial impact of being green. -   If planning an on-going annual event/conference, start small with your goals, but benchmark progress each year to evaluate ROI. -   In the big picture, work together, discuss options, be transparent and make decisions that provide progress for everyone involved in the process. Whether it’s looking at the overall impact that an event makes on the environment or helping clients make good choices, Stephen Silva of Melon’s Catering stressed the importance of educating his clients.  “In order to create greater awareness and educate the general population about how they can positively impact the environment, we encourage clients to do their research and we assist them by providing options for everything from limiting over-abundance of food to vendors that support our efforts to be green.” In addition to the more strategic and educational initiatives as identified above, it was very clear that each of the experts is also focused on the small efforts as they all add up.  Below is a short list of some of their helpful hints. The Small Stuff: -   Plan fewer meal breaks --- as pointed out by panelist Stephen Silva, “Do we really need to feed meeting attendees three meals and two snack breaks in an eight hour day?”  He continues, “By eliminating one or both snacks or modifying the meals, not only are we reducing calories but waste.” -   Cut back on transportation or number of pick up/drop off points and suggest that attendees walk off some of those (aforementioned) calories --- Sue Klick commented “Not only does cutting back on the transportation cut down our carbon footprint, but it also reduces costs.” -   In order to accommodate the reduction in transportation, develop walking routes for convention attendees, especially in cities like San Francisco. -   Provide incentives like miles or rewards instead of gifts and ““tchotchkes” or green give aways – like metal water containers, flash drives, etc. -   Whether it’s food choices or table settings, really discuss options with vendors so that you can make the most educated choices about how to lessen impact on the environment. -   As far as products go, request/provide natural fabrics that have been washed in non-chemical solutions; bamboo goods because of the sustainability; eco flames instead of sterno for heating food; rented furnishings/linens, which are continuously re-used/recycled. -   Swap out our individual shampoo and conditioner containers to in-room dispensers of EO Organics, reducing the number of plastic bottles going into landfill. -   Use tele-presence technology to increase reduce carbon footprint. -   As a planner, take responsibility and point out indiscretions (ie: condiments should not be served in Styrofoam; although thoughtful and welcoming, hotels should not have TV and lights on upon arrival into your hotel room; provide water in pitchers with glasses, instead of bottled water).  According to Linda Mansouria, “It’s the little things that we meeting planners bring to our vendors’ attention that make a huge impact.” Although this whole practice may seem overwhelming at first, Robert Marshall acknowledged, “In 2005 when we began this process, I was scared.  However, when we took an inventory of what needed to be done, our property (Inn Marin) was already just naturally implementing several positive initiatives.”  He continues, “The process has actually been relatively easy.  With the help of guidelines and tutorials from the state of California and Marin County Green Businesses, everyone pitches in to help us succeed. Whether it’s those that launched programs before us or it’s our back of the house staff, we are all learning together to make a positive change and lessen our impact on the environment.” (Note: Inn Marin was the first property to be awarded State Certification at the Leadership Level for California’s Green Hotel Certification program) Likewise, Julie Lindsay applauds hotels and vendors that our willing to learn.  She commented “As planners, we don’t need to deny relationships with those that are not complying, instead, we need to help educate our partners and make those that we work with accountable.  Instead of not doing business with those that may not be green certified, we should all take the opportunity to influence change.” In summation, according to Kathy Newby, “As consumers become more informed, we all grow in this process together.  Education is the key!”


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Hook, Line & Thinker is a minority-owned, California corporation specializing in public relations, social marketing, traditional marketing and special events for the hospitality industry. Notable clients: Pan Pacific Hotel Group; Hyatt; Palau, Micronesia

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