Greening Your Meeting

What does it mean to have a “green meeting” at The Banff Centre? It means planning for, and practicing, ways that will minimize the impact your event may have on the environment.

Hotel Association of Canada Green Key Eco-Rating Program

The Banff Centre received a 4 Green Key award from the Hotel Association of Canada on December 21, 2009. Based on the results of a comprehensive environmental audit, properties are awarded a 1 to 5 Green Key rating. The program assesses the five main operational areas of a property including environmental management, housekeeping, food and beverage operations, conference facilities, and engineering, as well as evaluating it’s sustainable practices. A 4 Green Keys award denotes a “hotel that has shown national industry leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through wide ranging policies and practices. Mature programs that involve management, employees, guests, and the public have shown substantial and measurable results”.

The Audubon Green Leaf^TM Eco-Rating Program

The Banff Centre is a Green Leaf™ Eco-Rated Member, with 4 Green Leaf status. This rating confirms that the Centre is taking substantial steps towards environmental improvement by adopting industry best practices for energy efficiency, resource conservation, and pollution prevention in all areas of its operations and management.

The International Association of Conference Centres Code of Sustainability Declaration

The International Association of Conference Centers has a rigorous Code of Sustainability (PDF) which includes 59 tenets in the following areas: Education, Awareness and Public Declaration , Waste Management; Recycling; Reuse; Water Conservation; Purchasing; Energy Management; Air Quality; Food & Beverage.

By signing the Code of Sustainability, IACC members certify that their organization: (1) has agreed to sustain and support IACC’s Environmental Policy; (2) has adopted and currently adheres to at least 75 per cent of the code; and (3) willingly joins other member organizations that have signed the code in an association-wide effort to continually strive for greater sustainability.

Members that have signed the Code of Sustainability are recognized in three tiers: To qualify for the Platinum tier, they have 100 per cent of the code’s practices in place; for Gold tier, 85 per cent of the practices are in place; and for the Silver tier, 75 per cent of the practices are in place. The Banff Centre has acheived the Platinum tier.

IACC monitors and updates the code on a periodic basis to ensure that it reflects the current best practices of the industry.

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The Banff Centre is located in Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we encourage you to think about how to make your next event with us a little more “green.”

As a meeting planner, you benefit from the many ways in which The Banff Centre can help you minimize your impact on the environment. For a quick look at our green practices, download the Green Checklist. For more information about The Banff Centre’s environmental policies and practices, visit Respecting Our Environment.

What can you do? Here are some suggestions:

Reduce

• Send notices to your participants by email.
• If mailings are necessary, ensure that mailing lists are up-to-date to avoid returned mail.
• When making decisions about goods and services you require for your meeting, give preference to the most environmentally appropriate choices available, at a competitive price.
• When considering gifts for presenters or participants, think about products that are durable, minimally packaged, locally made, and of natural or non-toxic materials.
• Participants should be encouraged to register for your meeting electronically.
• Consider rental options, as opposed to purchase, for products or equipment.
• Consider options for attendance via teleconferencing. The Banff Centre has teleconferencing capabilities.
• Ask your participants to bring their own pens, paper, and travel mugs.
• Print all of your meeting, conference, or retreat materials double-sided whenever possible, using recycled paper.
• Include post-conference information on your website for those who couldn’t attend, rather than printed copies of the proceedings.
• Use recycled paper for projects that require printing on-site. The Banff Centre has recycled paper available.
• No bottled water. Refillable water pitchers are used for meetings. Drinking water at The Banff Centre is tasty and safe, right from the tap. Use your own water bottle to fill up using the pitchers, or from drinking fountains. Consider providing attendees with their own re-usable water bottle.
• Choose registration bags that are made of recycled plastic or paper products, or natural fibre, such as 100 per cent organic cotton.
• If within driving distance of the Centre, consider carpooling with other conference participants from your area. If flying, use the Banff Airporter shuttle service (the official airport shuttle provider of The Banff Centre), rather than renting a car. You may be able to arrange a group discount price for the shuttle service, as well.
• If you drive your car to The Banff Centre, note that the Centre maintains a “no idling” policy. Vehicles should not be left idling more than two minutes.
• If going downtown from the Centre, walk.
• Use white boards with markers, rather than paper flip charts. If using flip charts, use both sides of the paper. Use non-toxic markers.
• Use PowerPoint, overheads, or slide presentations, instead of printed hand-outs.
• Turn off lights and equipment when not in use, in your meeting room as well as your bedroom.
• Reduce water use. For example, turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• Close drapes in meeting rooms and bedrooms when not in use.

Reuse

• Reuse your towels and bed linens while staying at The Banff Centre. There are cards in each guest bedroom to help you inform housekeeping staff of your choice.
• Provide reusable coffee mugs at the start of the meeting.
• Choose centerpieces or decorations that can be reused, or given away as prizes to participants.

Recycle

• Recycle bins for paper, cans, glass, etc. are located throughout The Banff Centre campus.
• Guest bedrooms contain individual recycling “blue boxes.”
• When your meeting or conference concludes, clearly identify items that should be recycled.
• At the conclusion of your event, ensure that reusable name tag holders are returned to the Centre.
• Leftover merchandise, food products, supplies, or promotional items may be donated to local schools, or Banff non-profit organizations such as: Santa’s Anonymous, The Banff Food Bank, YWCA Community Resource Centre, etc. The Banff Centre can help connect you with these organizations.

Be Accountable

• Create an eco-initiatives committee for your association or company. Work together to develop new ways to green your meetings, and ways to measure your success.
• Educate organization members about the environment.
• Develop and publish your policies and practices on your conference website, to promote your commitment.
• Evaluate your environmental efforts through questions included on your post-conference evaluation form. Use an online form, rather than a printed form.
• Align your organization with partners or sponsors who share your commitment through their positive environmental values and practices.

Communicate

• Inform your meeting participants, in advance, that you are planning a green meeting. Help them understand the ways they can lessen their impact on the environment.
• Raise awareness among your members or staff about environmental concerns by making the topic a regular part of your planning discussions.
• Share your green meeting mission with other associations and corporations.
• Appoint members of your organization as “green ambassadors” to help encourage participation during your gathering.
• Add educational programming about the environment to your meeting or conference agenda. In the Banff area, several organizations could provide speakers for your event, including Parks Canada, The Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Bow Valley Naturalists, or the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society.
• Recognize and appreciate your organizers and participants for their greening efforts.

Links

There are many organizations in Canada and the United States who have developed policy papers and guidelines to help foster green meetings. Here are a few:

Government of Canada
Contains a downloadable 57-page guide called “Environment Canada’s Green Meeting Guide,” featuring a number of helpful checklists for ways to make your meeting green.

Environment Canada, Atlantic Provinces
Best practices based on the experiences of organizers of the 1995 Hamilton G-7 Environment Summit and the 1995 Halifax Economic Summit.

Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication
Includes a printable green conference checklist.

Oceans Blue Foundation (Canada and USA)
A number of suggestions for making your next meeting a greener one.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Details for planning meetings that minimize impacts on the environment.

Green Meetings Industry Council (USA)
Includes a document called “The Future is Green,” which analyzes ways to plan a sustainable future for meetings.

Convention Industry Council (USA)
The council’s “Green Meetings Report” includes best practices for both meeting planners, and event suppliers.

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