Get Certified
Author: Talia Salem
June 2009
Green Scene
One experienced planner tells how she got her client a green events certification
Green certifications and standards seem to be everywhere these days. There are standards for buildings, business, products, food and many more. Until recently, there really has not been an accepted green events standard. BS 8901, guidelines for sustainable event management, has started to emerge as the first certifiable sustainability management system standard for the events industry—and companies are starting to take note.The process-based standard started across the pond in London in 2007 in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. In 2008 the UK standard was opened up to everyone. According to the British Standards Institution (www.bsi-global.com) the BS 8901:2007 is a “specification for a sustainable event management system with guidance for use sets out the requirements for planning and managing sustainable events of all sizes and types, supplemented by guidance on how to meet, and surpass, these requirements. BS 8901 encompasses the entire range of events ranging from large scale conferences and unique events such as the 2012 Olympics to music festivals and air shows.”
The BS 8901 can help:
- Companies to improve sustainability performance within available budgets
- Reduce carbon emissions and waste, improving the resource efficiency of the entire event supply chain
- Present opportunities for more efficient planning and encourage the re-use of equipment and infrastructure
- Users take stock of the environmental impacts such as carbon footprint, waste management and effects on biodiversity; social impacts such as community involvement and fair employment; and economic impacts such as local investment and long-term viability.
Q: Can you tell me a little bit more about the standard?
A: It’s a process-based standard. You have to follow different procedures and documents, and show how you approach the event from a sustainable perspective. It’s more of a road map modeled after the ISO 1400, which is the environmental quality management standard—a systems-focused standard.
BS 8901 will become an ISO standard, but each country has slightly different regulations and different incentives and disincentives. [In the case of USGBC] we have implemented the UK standard because there isn’t another [widely accepted] standard.
Q: What exactly can you certify under the BS 8901?
A: You can certify an event, an organization and or a division. With the USGBC, we set the scope to the conference and events team. We looked at the investment we were making in it and decided that this was the best scope with the most value. Verifying the conference and events team ensures that all events the team directly plans are BS 8901 certified.
Q: What kind of resources are available for planners and companies seeking out the certification?
A: There are not very many resources out there; it [BS 8901] has been recently launched and it’s really been only within the past eight to nine months that U.S. organizations have been aiming for the certification. Microsoft has tried to verify [its events] as well as MPI. You can bring in a third party to verify—they have involved a third party to verify. Organizations can be certified with minor nonconformities that need to be addressed within in a certain time frame. They may grant you certification before that nonconformity is addressed, but if you don’t address it, that certification will be revoked. The BS 8901 also allows for self-verification, but third party is more credible.
Q: What is the biggest challenge with green meetings and events?
A: Right now the meetings and events [industry] is viewing green practices as a tack-on, not as a special project of team. It is almost an afterthought instead of being in conjunction with planning. Green decisions need to be integrated within the planning process, it internalizes your green filter, and it becomes part of your day-to-decision making.
Greenwashing is also a real issue in the industry. People are finding it harder and harder to know [what is green and what is not] because there is no clear sustainability standard for us to measure by. It behooves meeting planners to look at certifications for a baromemter.
Q: What should a planner or company’s first step be to getting certified?
A: Set specific goals around the objectives for the conference, an environmental and social matrix. For example: how are you handling waste management, recycling and composting? Will you include a legacy or volunteer project as part of the social responsibility component? Making sustainability a fundamental part of the culture of your event and organization, and having a holistic approach to sustainability [is essential].
We are largely thinking about it terms of environmental practices, food donation programs and voluntarism, and in fairly traded and ethically sourced giveaways. What is the standard of living of your service people, and are they being paid a living wage? Are there any union grievances in the hotel—you don’t won’t that to reflect negatively on you.
Q: How long did it take?
A: It varies on an organization basis, but it took us about 7 months.
Q: How has the project benefited both your company and the USGBC?
A: This is the first time we undertook this [certification] and we are not currently certified. We can see how it has benefited the organization and how it helps us do what we do better. Now we can look at our home company and what new things we should be doing to do a better job.
The process really allows [organizations] to align being environmentally and socially sustainable. It allows you to align environmental or economic goals and better balance and track criteria for the system. People are employing green practices, but they don’t know what the benefits are. This system makes you track those choices so you can see what the impact of your actions are. We are able to make decisions in a more informed manner with actual data and weigh that against the environmental benefit.
Q: What advice do you have for meeting planners who are interesting in planning green, but their clients are not?
A: Our company adopts the philosophy that meeting planners are at the forefront of green events. We are all in situations where the client does not really make green events a priority. In our small way we influence their decisions, and we can present them with cost savings in their practices and we add more value. Some clients do not start out as green.
Even the singular planner has a lot of power to make a difference. You have to look at what you can control and how you can make a difference.
To order your copy of BS 8901, click here.
