Event: Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners (CSPEP, www.cspep.ca), an 11-year-old association of independent meeting consultants across Canada, held its annual conference, November 2007 in Whistler, B.C., for approximately 100 member and supplier partner attendees.

Planning: "We wanted to make the conference as green as we could," said Sandy Biback, CMP, CMM, Imagination+ Meeting Planners Inc., and co-chair of the CSPEP educational committee for the conference. "Although I, along with the rest of the team, really weren't sure what that meant. As we moved forward, we hit upon ideas that were good (such as having Shawna McKinley, project manager, Meeting Strategies Worldwide, give us a report card as we closed the conference); and ideas that weren't so good (like all of us bringing our own name badges since we had so many)."

Biback and the planning team had discussions with the various properties to learn about their green initiatives. "It wasn't until Shawna did a back-of-the-house tour of the TELUS Whistler Conference Centre that we truly realized how 'green' the center was," Biback said. CSPEP's green efforts:

• Marketing consisted of one postcard mailed and distributed at trade shows. All other marketing was on the Web site.
• Offset carbon imprint if people chose to, with directions on Web site.
• Raised $1,500 for Whistler's recently opened Lil'wat Cultural Centre, which preserves and protects the cultures and traditions of Whistler Squamish and Lil' Wat Nations. (To their surprise, the funds have gone to a bench overlooking the mountains for guests at the center, with CSPEP's name on it.)
• Speaker gifts were donations to a favorite charity or the Lil'wat Cultural Centre.
• Large sheets of paper used on site for brainstorming activities came from an end roll of recycled paper donated by a Vancouver printer; remaining paper was donated to a local school.
• Opening session was a panel from the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, who discussed their sustainability and waste management initiatives.
• Zero on-site printing; handouts were on memory sticks sponsored by Tourism London. Those not available on the memory stick could be downloaded from the Web site after the conference.
• The only printed material was an agenda that was on two-sided, recycled paper that could be slipped into the name badge.
• Name badges were printed on recycled paper.
• Each attendee was asked to bring a conference bag from home; Atlific Hotels and Resorts provided recycled bags for those who needed them.
• No printed signage; used technology instead.
• Supplier exhibition component was done in speed-networking format and all exhibitors were asked to limit or forgo printed material (most complied).
• Because the meeting was in the village, no local transportation was necessary.
• Closing luncheon sponsor Hamilton, ON (host to CSPEP's 2008 conference), gave out packets of seeds to plant and initiated a photography contest for the best photos (Hamilton has a world famous botanical garden). These seeds are now handed out at each CSPEP event this year.

Michelle Russell is Convene's editor.