Things to Ask the Venue:

Do you have a green initiative for a sustainability program? 

Do you have any sustainability/green certifications? 

What are your green strategies and policies? 

Cost and availability of water bubblers/water pitchers as opposed to bottled water? 

Do you offer other alternatives to single use plastic? 

What type of reusable or compostable plates and flatware do you offer? 

What other additional compostable products do you offer? 

What is the venue’s recycle/trash program? How many different receptacles do you have at your venue? 

Do you have an energy usage report? 

Can we minimize  HVAC on move in / move out days?

Can the AC be turned down during the conference to minimize energy use? 

How does the kitchen handle food waste? 

Can food that is leftover be donated? What donation programs do you work with? 

Can all food that is leftover be donated? Or only certain types of food? 

How does the kitchen handle leftover frying oil? 

Can we track food consumption and leftovers in our daily reports? 

What company do you use to clean your linens? Are they sustainable? 

What furniture do you have in inventory that does not require a linen? 

Badges and Materials:

Recyclable badge holders and badge stock 

Recyclable Lanyards 

Push mobile apps instead of printed programs 

Ask attendees to calculate their carbon footprint in the registration form

Use digital signage instead of printed signage 

Do not offer printed handouts at registration

Is the merchandise you are offering sustainable or local? 

Eliminate hand outs and bag inserts if possible 

F&B:

Use less red meat and meat products in your menus 

Move towards plant based menus 

Source food locally, if possible 

Do not use sterno/oil candles. 

Use water bubblers instead of bottled water 

Use compostable or reusable flatware, plates, cups napkins for larger scale conferences 

Require food consumption and waste to be in BEO’s per contract

Avoid using linens on tables if possible or look to use a sustainable linen cleaning company who does not wrap linen in plastic. 

Things to Ask your Hotels:

Do you have a green initiative for a sustainability program? 

What are your green strategies and policies? 

Do you have water usage and energy reports? Can these be minimized? 

Do you have a program where guests can forgo room cleaning? 

What is your recycling/trash program?