CEE - Meetings

GREENING OUR MEETINGS

CEE is investigating ways to make our meetings more environmentally friendly. As these efforts move forward, CEE staff invites members to provide input on how to expand Green Meeting activities in the future, where possible.

Our initial efforts include:

1.	Recycling meeting attendee nametags.

Networking is an important function of CEE meetings and name badges allow for easier introductions. Many members attend more than one CEE meeting throughout the year and have historically received a new name badge each time.

Rather than buying and printing name badges for each meeting, CEE collect badges at the end of each meeting – including the plastic holder and elastic cord – and saves them for future meetings. Participants who return to the next CEE meeting will receive their personal name tag. This effort is more than a symbol of reusing resources; having member name badges maintained at CEE will provide a sense of continuity, reduce CEE expenses for new materials, and cut down on our meetings' contribution to the waste stream.

Please look for the name tag drop-box at the next meeting, and leave your whole nametag (plastic case and paper insert) with us.

2.	Offering members some options to offset their travel through various carbon offset organizations.

3.	Distributing our meeting books via e-mail as PDFs prior to the meeting.

PDFs of the meeting book are distributed to confirmed meeting registrants approximately one week prior to the meeting. Members are encouraged to print (and bring to the meeting) only those pages of interest to them. Through this effort, CEE saves money on printing, reduces carbon emissions associated with paper use, and help members customize the meeting book to suit their interests.

Please share any feedback you have on this approach with CEE staff and on your meeting evaluation forms.

4.	Contracting, when possible, with hotels that have a commitment to energy efficiency and other green practices.

CEE hopes to improve and possibly expand these efforts for future meetings. We welcome any suggestions from CEE members on other ways we can reduce the environmental footprint of our meetings.