In what appears to be a precursor to future LEED standards for Hotels, the US Green Building Council has released the “Green Venue Selection Guide: Integrating LEED into Travel and Event Management.”

The guide is intended to serve as a checklist for those properties that are not currently LEED certified. USGBC suggests the user package the checklist with their Request for Proposal. They do clarify that it should be obvious this is a product of the USGBC. One could surmise that the USGBC is wise in distributing this document to properties with the intent that hoteliers will recognize the increased demand from planners and organizations who would like to hold their events in certified green properties. Nice move USGBC!

You can download the document here. You can also see their presentation enticing hospitality professionals here.

An archived version of the Project Green AV webinar that aired 11/17 is now available on-demand. You can access it here.

For a copy of the presentation with all links live, please send a message to midori *at* pulsestaging.com You can also view the document on my LinkedIn Slide Share page.

Enjoy!!

Women's Global Network

For attendees of my presentation on CSR, Small Business and You at the Women’s Global Network, here is a copy of the presentation and resources I recommend for measurement, values assessment and ROI.

CSR Resources

Copy of Presentation

Thank you so much for attending and please let me know if you have any other groups or businesses that might be interested in learning more about this topic.

Cheers! Midori Connolly, CEO and Chief AVGirl midori *at* pulsestaging.com

Pulse Staging is proud to present their all-new, 80% organic, locally harvested AudioVisual equipment. We’ve had many requests for a demonstration of green AV and we’re finally able to provide samples of our sustainable product line, including the potentially never-to-be-sold Projector Mount 2010 and the soon-to-be-discontinued Tension Mountain Video Screen…

Disclaimer: This was NOT the work of Pulse Staging. And we hope you, dear reader, appreciate the humor as much as we did. Enjoy!

Read the article from ProAV Magazine here: http://bit.ly/GreenisBlack

Green AV can truly become a profit source when applied appropriately; requiring a shift in philosophy and a long-term vision. It also requires authenticity and transparency or a business is left with nothing but a handful of last year’s marketing fads.

This article was recently featured in the San Diego edition of Meeting Professionals International’s quarterly publication, Compass.

“From the moment the organizing team of the San Diego MPI Chapter’s First Annual Technology Conference contacted me with the idea to hold an e-Waste collection effort at the event, I knew they had a stroke of genius!

As a Platinum Speaker on the topic of Corporate Social Responsibility and its application to meetings and events, my presentation covers the concept of “Strategic CSR.” At its most fundamental level, Strategic CSR is the point of intersection between the needs of:
a) your organization or meeting,
b) those of the environment and
c) those of society.
In our case, the collection of e-Waste was a model of Strategic CSR in action. Specifically, we addressed the three needs and where they intersect.

The first intersect was the needs of our organization and society. While holding an event whose main topic was how to integrate technology and electronics into the fold of our meetings, we had to address the social ills of the gadgetry involved. One of the common complaints about technology is what to do with it when it longer has a use, which happens on an increasingly frequent basis.  Encouraging attendees to bring their recyclable electronics provided a physical means for them to get rid of their electronic clutter…perhaps improving their willingness and to accept new equipment and technology into their meetings. Several of the members voiced their relief at having somewhere to bring outmoded and non-operable items. In addition, funds resulting from the recycled items are to be donated to the Monarch School.

The other intersect combined the needs of the environment and society. The communications campaign focused on awareness of the need (and even legal requirement) to divert this type of toxic waste from landfills. The educational information provided on the free community collection events offered by the local eWorld Recyclers signify an even greater potential impact for the future recycling of items currently in use.
Our measurable impact diverted from landfills was as follows:
6 Cellular Phones;
2 PDA’s;
5 CPU’s;
1 LCD Monitor;
50lbs of Nickel Cadmium Batteries;
38 Ink Cartridges;
4 Power Outlet Strips;
1…Hair Dryer!

Overall, this was a textbook example of how strategic Corporate Social Responsibility can have a lasting impact to the benefit of all stakeholders.”

During the 2009 presentation on Green AV Staging and InfoComm International, Midori Connolly was able to educate and inform an attentive audience. The students of IS96 were guided from believing that Green Staging is LED lighting to developing a holistic view of how event AV can transform the sustainable practices of an event.

There were a couple of items that were requested at this presentation. The first was to learn more about TerraChoice Marketing and their former Six Sins of Greenwashing. Well, on the very day of the presentation, TerraChoice released their new findings, TerraChoice Marketing Seven Sins of Greenwashing.

Additionally, the “definition” of Green(er) AV was also requested. Here it is: Green A/V is a collective movement, a newly born collection of AV professionals using sustainable materials and best practices to fulfill their obligations to society and the environment while improving the profitability of a meeting or event.

Also mentioned was a report by Deloitte that surveyed approximately 6,000 shoppers to assess their green purchasing habits.

Pulse Staging is proud to nurture the Green AV movement and welcomes the input and collaboration of all interested parties. Please feel free to contact us for more information: info (at) pulsestaging.com

Trash. No longer just for the dump.

As I watched my five year old son play with his most cherished toy in the world (yes, a trash truck, I know), it occurred to me that throwing any and all waste into one single receptacle represents an outdated, outmoded and, frankly, old way of thinking. As you can see, the reality to my son and his entire generation is that the contents of our bins are not just waste. There is composting, greens, recycling (he prefers to separate his materials) and then only what’s left over or can’t be reused goes to the dump. So, how can we, as the sage leaders we’re supposed to be, continue to take all of the rubbish from our events straight to the landfill?

Now, as an Audio Visual producer and sometime speaker…I’m kind of low on the totem pole when it comes to input on event management. We do participate in the creative planning process and often share handy tips for various operational challenges, but we’re generally not involved in the overall operational goals. Especially for something like waste management. So, imagine my surprise the other day when Paul Salinger, the mastermind behind the Green Meeting Industry Council’s Million Ton Trash Challenge, asked me if I could use my influence to sway the organizers of one of our upcoming events to participate in the Trash Challenge. Why! It never occurred to me that I should be rallying the troops for ALL of our events. It was a lot less of an aha moment and much more of a big “duh”!

So now, Pulse Staging vows to assume the role of trash troubadours. We will serenade our event managers to please share their trash data with the GMIC so that our industry might meet the goal of diverting one million tons of trash from landfills. We will broach the subject from the initial point of contact…offering suggestions and ways to avoid even creating the waste in the first place (which can also eliminate some of the hassle and expense associated with its management).

What’s more, I also raise my voice in a rallying cry to all of the other suppliers who might feel like us. I’m sure there are many more of you out there who hadn’t considered it was appropriate for you to “weigh in” on the weighty trash situation. Singers, photographers, graphic artists, registration companies, don’t be afraid to think beyond the impact of just your service and encourage and assist your event organizers to join the GMIC Trash Challenge.

And I leave you with a final trashy thought that’s always vexed me. Why must the city’s regular trash receptacle be larger than the blue recycling? I’v always wondered, could this have a psychological effect on our wasteful habits?

This year’s InfoComm Show 2009 marks a new era for Green AV. No longer is Green AV some faddish notion for the fringes – rather, it’s become widely acknowledged as necessary to the future growth and development of the industry. ProAV Magazine made a stir by featuring a bi-monthly column on Sustainable AV by Pulse Staging’s Midori Connolly.

The Audio Visual industry represents technology. And shouldn’t technology be derived from the most forward-thinking, cutting-edge knowledge and practices available? Well, kudos to InfoComm for recognizing, embracing and stimulating this aspect of Green AV. A core component of the curriculum offered, InfoComm offers !TEN! courses on Green AV – ranging from the business benefits of green to green campuses to even USGBC training. Wow!

Moreover, this last year InfoComm made history by funding the creation of a Green AV Task Force. Their kick-off event will be a free mixer featuring representatives from the Green Building Council, US EPA’s Energy Star program and more! More details can be found here: Green AV Mixer. You can also informally RSVP on LinkedIn.

Of course we won’t be particleboard panelists! We’ll be the attractive, healhty alternative that I’m raving about: ChloroFill.  Okay, so that’s entirely off the subject, but an interesting, green building materials sidetrack all the same.

Back on the main track, the San Diego chapter of Meeting Planners International will be holding an educational program on 11/18, “Understanding & Embracing Corporate Social Responsibility.” The program is catered to the hospitality and toursim industry but will be beneficial for all industries. We are honored to have Elizabeth Henderson, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility Meeting Professionals International, lead the discussion. Three panelists from the areas of green meetings and CSR will participate.

For more details and to register, please visit the San Diego MPI website. Thanks for your support and we hope to see you there!