Planning for a greener meeting

Things you can do before the meeting

• Send out meeting invitations, confirmations and information electronically
• Tell participants that the meeting takes account of the environment
• Choose recycled products for your meeting where possible, e.g.:
  • Card name badges and recycled plastic pouches
  • Bags and folders in fabric or eco-labeled paper
• Choose reusable boxes and containers for your shipments
• Use recycled paper
• Copy and print out on both sides of the paper
• Book shared transport if there are lots of you (e.g. van/shared taxi)
• Issue maps and prepaid tickets for local transport to meeting participants
• Plan for ride-sharing or public transportation from the airport. Set up transportation or encourage shared transportation
• Book your meeting in a neighborhood that encourages walking to restaurants and shopping
• Choose a meeting facility that will recycle bottles, cans, & paper from your meeting

Implementing a greener meeting

Things you can do during the meeting

• Reduce the use of paper by registering participants electronically
• Bring signs and display material or make such material that you can reuse
• Choose recycled paper for place cards and menus
• Choose an LCD projector or whiteboard for your presentations instead of a flipchart
• Give participants the option of downloading information onto a USB memory stick or provide them with a CD of the presentations instead of large packets of paper
• Encourage participants to turn the lights off when they leave the room

Showing the results of a greener meeting

Two things you can do after the meeting

• Send out documentation from the meeting electronically, set it up on the intranet or a website
• Show participants that sustainable meetings provide good results. Send out a report on the effects the meeting had on our shared future

Have some more tips? .