The Green Meeting Industry Council held the 2012 Sustainable Meetings Conference in Montreal, where GMIC announced its plans for programming to educate meeting professionals on defining, measuring, and reporting the implementation of a sustainable event. Around 200 meeting sustainability experts gathered to discuss the industry’s current issues, including the APEX/ASTM standards. Eight of the nine standards have been published, with the final standard to be published this month. ISO 20121 is an international standard that should be finalized and released in June. Andrew Walker, a GMIC director, recommended attendees use both measures. GMIC’s executive director, Tamara Kennedy-Hill, CMP, says the council helps cover emerging standards. “The industry needs a single, one-stop resource to help planners and decision-makers understand the standards, decide which ones to use for different purposes, and get on with the job. GMIC is the only meetings association devoted full-time to sustainability, so it’s our job to put that training in place.” An update to the Sustainable Event Management Tool was also announced at the conference. The tool allows planners and suppliers to measure and report the environmental impact of their events.
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