The following is a summary of an #eventtable chat held 3/27 with Andrew Walker, event sustainability specialist and founder of E3 Strategy.
There are new standards for event sustainability. That means, event professionals now have an agreed-upon definition of what it takes to ensure meetings and events are organized with social, environmental and economic sustainability in mind, according to Andrew Walker of E3 Strategy. Walker shared his knowledge of the new standards on our last #eventtable Twitter chat.
In 2010, Walker founded E3 Strategy to address the growing need for sustainability management professionals within the meetings industry. He also currently serves on the global Meeting Professionals International (MPI) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Advisory Council; is an active member and director of the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) and belongs to both the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP) and the Sustainable Event Alliance (SEA)
The New Event Sustainability Standards
Walker answered the first question, ” What is the big news about event sustainability standards,” with an amazing rundown 140 characters at a time. In it he said:
* ISO 20121 is based on the world’s first certifiable sustainable event standard – BS 8901 -launched in the UK in 2007
* Evidence of use internationally led to a proposal to create global ISO standard. Thirty five countries plus eight organizations have been involved since 2010.
* Process-based; provides management framework for addressing sustainability within events (business, cultural, sport)
* Provides comprehensive checklist to measure & manage mainly environmental sustainability w/ some social/community elements
* Covers 9 sectors: Destination, Meeting Venue, Accommodation, F&B, Exhibits, AV, Transportation, Onsite Office and Communications
* Developed by Convention Industry Council (CIC), Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC) & US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
* Eight of the nine sector standards were published earlier this month bit.ly/x7VfUV
For the rest of this summary please go to The New Event Sustainability Standards: Why They Matter.
