Professionals in the meetings industry have access to the very first green meetings and event standards in the areas of Audiovisual, Communication & Marketing Materials, Destinations, Exhibits, Food & Beverage, On-Site Office and Transportation, after the American Society for Testing and Materials International (ASTM) published seven of nine sustainable meeting standards.
The standards, produced as a partnership between the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and ASTM, were initially conceptualized by the Green Meeting Industry Council in discussions with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
The APEX/ASTM standards are comprised of nine individual “sector” standards, covering all facets of event planning and management. Seven of the nine have been published; the Accommodations standard is undergoing final balloting and the Meeting Venue standard is being prepared.
Each of the standards will address specific sustainable elements: staff management and environmental policy, communications, waste, energy, air quality, water, procurement and community partners.
Much of the work and research behind the initiative was done by the APEX Green Meetings and Events Practice Panel, consisting of 300 planners, suppliers and sustainability experts from across nine time zones. ASTM International provided comprehensive input, review and feedback from its technical experts, engineers, materials scientists and sustainability experts across the globe.
The standards are available for individual purchase, at the cost of $40 to $46 each, through ASTM International in both electronic and paper options. After the ninth standard on Accommodations is complete, all nine will be collected into a single specially priced compilation at a cost to be determined once the final Meeting Venue and Accommodations standards are published. Additionally, ASTM members may select one free Volume of standards with their membership dues that will contain all nine standards. The modular design of the nine standards gives planners and suppliers the flexibility to choose the mix of resources that are relevant to their operational footprint.
For more information on the standards and to view a complete list of the volunteers that contributed to the project, visit www.conventionindustry.org/standardspractices/apexastm.aspx.
To purchase the standards, visit www.astm.org/commit/subcommit/e6002.htm.