| CHANGE THE WORLD |
|
Page 1 of 5 Green meeetings are the future. Step up and avoid the rush.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) examines how companies impact the communities where they conduct business. It’s not new but the amount of attention it’s receiving is. This ramped up focus on CSR is being proclaimed as the “new normal,” demanding companies implement transparent, sustainable best practices to protect the planet in the face of oil dependence and climate change. No one needs to ask why in the wake of this decade. The exponential growth in attention surrounding CSR is affecting the evolution of green meetings. A couple years ago, the perception of corporate meeting planners recycling, reusing and reducing was considered a little “granola.” Today, the issue is at the forefront of corporate strategy. Growing legions within both the public and private sectors are determining spending based on how corporations are working to minimize their carbon footprint. When Shell Oil develops Shell WindEnergy, or Wal-Mart hires the ex-president of Sierra Club, it’s because they’re responding to market forces. It isn’t disingenuous—it’s just good business. So corporations are putting muscle into their CSR statements and establishing earth-first initiatives to become better corporate citizens and environmental stewards. For example, Northeast Utilities, the largest energy provider in New England, released its first-ever CSR statement in July. Naturally, this affects how corporations operate their offsite meetings, and it’s where corporate planners can help change the world. Will composting trash at a convention center change the world, significantly? Yes, over time, absolutely. Because it erodes skepticism in the minds of others, which influences behavior, which changes worlds. “We have such an incredible opportunity to impact millions of people by holding meetings responsibly,” says Bridget Chisholm, conference manager for the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE). “It’s becoming mainstream and it’s what society wants. If a company is not conscious of the waste it produces, it’s going to eventually lose customers.” Or as Peter Robinson, CEO of the David Suzuki Foundation succinctly puts it, “Ethics is the new competitive environment.” |
