Conventions / Exhibitions Venues

Valuable Resource Usage

• Use electronic devices that are energy efficient, such as compact fluorescent lighting or air conditioning with an energy efficiency rating of 5.
  
• Install a programmable thermostat set at 25 degrees Celsius for air conditioning.
  
• The venue must be easily accessible by public transportation.

Waste and Pollution Reduction

• Decorate the venue with green shrubs and/or potted plants instead of floral decorations to reduce waste and reuse them for upcoming events.
  
• Prepare waste bins for recycling garbage, categorized by 4 types: paper, plastic bottles, glass, and cans.

Chemical Reduction

• Use environmental friendly cleaning products that can easily decompose through natural means, such as soap, liquid hand wash, air fresheners, and bathroom cleaning fluids.

Accomodations

Valuable Resource Usage

• Inform guests who do not wish to use a daily towel service of a linen reuse program to help conserve water resources.
  
• Use electronic devices that are energy efficient, such as compact fluorescent
  
• Lighting and air conditioners with an energy efficiency rating of 5. The venue must have convenient access to public transportation.

Waste and Pollution Reduction

• Install dispensers that can be refilled with cleaning fluids such as shampoo, conditioner, and liquid soap to reduce package waste.
  
• Use product packages that can be refilled in the room to reduce package waste.

Chemical Reduction

• Use environmental friendly cleansing products such as soap, liquid hand wash, air fresheners, and bathroom cleaning fluids that can decompose by natural procedures.

Transportation for Delegates, Exhibition Visitors, Tourist and Equipment

Energy Consumption and Pollution Reduction

• Encourage visitors to research information for public transport to the event destination prior to the event date.
  
• Provide a shuttle bus service along the event route to serve as public transportation to the venue to reduce personal transportation.
  
• Use transportation vehicles that are environmental friendly, such as hybrid cars that use electric, and fossil fuel vehicles that run on bio diesel or gasohol.

Food and Beverages

Waste and Pollution Reduction

• Use durable dishes and utensils for food and beverage serving packs.
• Reduce volume of one-time, disposable utensils made of foam, plastic, and paper.
• Avoid using pre-packaged seasonings and promote the use of containers such as jars or bottles that can be shared to reduce packaging waste.
  
• Make an agreement with the raw material vendor for fresh food or prepared food to use durable dishes and utensils to reduce the use of foam and plastic packaging.
  
• Arrange to donate leftover food to organizations in need.

Chemical Reduction

• If forced to use one-time, disposable containers, select a natural material that can easily decompose, such as banana leafs, plastic that is agriculturally based, or paper instead of plastic or foam.
• Select locally grown raw materials for food preparation that are organic to promote the reduction of chemicals and increase consumer safety.

Convention and Exhibition Production

Valuable Resource Usage

• Have an offsite meeting venue to reduce the use of an air conditioned room by having meetings under a tree or at an outdoor terrace.
• Turn off the LCD projector when not in use for a long time during a conference and put it on stand-by mode.
• Discourage meetings with a formal business dress code for delegates to be able to raise the thermostat of the air conditioner in the meeting room to at least 25 degrees Celsius.
• Provide drinking water in glass bottles or by refilling from a jug to reduce water consumption in the case the number of delegates present are fewer than expected.
• Collect leftover notepads and stationery from the delegates' tables for reuse in the next event.
• Print double-sided conference materials.
• Reduce electricity use in the booths.
• Avoid distributing souvenirs, but if needed, select genuinely useful objects made from environmental friendly materials that can be easily found and manufactured regionally.

Waste and Pollution Reduction

• Set up a station to collect delegate name badges upon exit for reuse.
• Set up a station to collect any unwanted souvenirs or give-away premiums so they can be donated to organizations in need.
• Select recyclable materials or reusable materials from previous events, for instance carpeting, exhibition boards, system booths,name badges, flags, and table skirts.
• Reduce paper usage as a means of media and encourage using electronic media such as memory sticks or downloading materials from the event Web site.
• Reduce usage of foam construction on stage and area decorations.
• Reduce usage of plastic bags and containers in food and beverage exhibition booths.
• Provide a station where the delegates or event visitors can discard unwanted printing materials such as handbills and pamphlets upon exiting as a means of waste separation before recycling, which would include delegate badges for reuse.

Chemical Reduction

• Use environmental friendly bags for delegates to carry their conference papers around instead of plastic envelopes.

Communication and Public Relations

Waste and Pollution Reduction

• Promote the event through the use of the event's Web site, e-mails to members, e-newsletters through the organization, and SMSs to mobile phones. Use an LCD screen as a medium for public announcements as well as the venues' PA system to avoid using handbills, brochures, and letters.

Chemical Reduction

• Design an environmental friendly medium to promote the event or consider a plan to reduce paper usage, promote recycling paper, and employ materials easily found within the region.

Tokens and Souvenirs

Waste and Chemical Reduction

• Select souvenirs made from recyclable materials or materials that have already been used.
• Use manufacturing materials easily found within the region.
• Keep packaging materials for souvenirs to a minimum.

Environment Preservation

• Eco-Design
• Green Procurement
• Avoid ingredients from plants or animals facing extinction.
  
  

General Office Procedures

Valuable Resource Usage

• Focus on using environmental friendly office supplies and using energy efficient compact fluorescent lighting.

Increase the Potential within the Employee

• Define a policy of promoting environmental friendly ideas and portray the policy as the organization's mission statement for MICE events, including the tourism industry as well.
• Change employee behavior to be more environmental friendly through various policies such as promoting the turning off of computer monitors and photocopying machines when not in use to save energy, focusing on setting a designated time period of turning on and off air conditioners during office hours, and separating waste into non-recyclable and recyclable, reducing the use of packaging, promoting car pooling, etc.
• Promote a green procurement policy by using green label materials, take-back programs, and green leaf services for such things as office supplies and MICE events.
• Make an agreement with the event contractor or organizer to use material that are environmental friendly or can be recycled.

Glossary

3R (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle)

• Environmental management that focuses on the reduction of products and resources, reusing materials and recycling waste.

Alternative fuel

• Alternative fuel such as gasohol, bio diesel, natural gas, and hydrogen instead of petroleum or gases that emit pollution from engines or factory machinery.

Carbon offset

• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Carbon offsets are measured in metric tons of carbon dioxideequivalent (CO2e). One carbon offset represents the reduction of one metric ton of carbon dioxide, or its equivalent in other greenhouse gases.

Corporate Social Responsibility: CSR

• A concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large.

Greenhouse gases

• Gases that keep heat that can result in global warming or climate change such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, Hydroflourocarbons, Perflourocarbons, and Sulfurhexaflouride.

Green label

• A standard designation for products that have been carefuly created by selected raw materials in the process of production, utilization and waste management after usage to have the least negative effect on the environment compared with products of the same line.

Green leaf

• A project that focuses on developing efficient energy consumption to improve the environment for the tourism business, including hotels.

Green meeting

• Improving meeting management by supporting collaboration and the development and dissemination of resources and opportunities that improve the environmental performance of meetings and events by putting into consideration the idea of sustainability and reducing negative effects that might occur to the environment through event organizing that result in excess use of resources and energy.

Green procurement

• Selecting environmental friendly products such as green label products and green hotels.

Organic vegetables & fruits

• Promote agricultural products that use harvest practices that are chemical free and avoid GMO plants, use no irradiation processes, and grow through natural methods such as using organic fertilizers.

Sustainability

• The ability to meet the wants of the present day population without reducing the ability to meet the wants of the population in the future, for instance, through the consumption of natural resources or releasing pollution.

Take-back program

• The process where manufacturers ensure that all sorts of materials are reused, recycled, or disposed of properly instead of going to landfills.

Green Meetings Websites

Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau
http://www.tceb.or.th

Green Meetings Thailand
http://www.greenmeetingsthailand.com

Green Meeting Guide
http://www.greenmeetingguide.com

Green Leaf Foundation
http://www.greenleafthai.org/en/index.php

Green Meetings Project at EPA
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings

Thailand Environment Institute (TEI)
http://www.tei.or.th/th_main.htm

IMEX
http://www.imex-frankfurt.com/envaward.html

Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporate_social_responsibility