Greg D. Ruby, CASE, CEM, CMP, Assistant Director of Building Services for the Baltimore Convention Center shared the following tips to help you plan a more earth-friendly meeting.

• Hand out reusable mugs or sport bottles that attendees can use at the event, take home and reuse.
• Provide water bubblers rather than individual bottled water.
• Set up a system to recycle extra materials left behind by speakers and exhibitors.
• Have handouts printed on site, rather than shipping them to the meeting site.
• Print handouts on both sides of the page.
• Collect unwanted items from registration bags for recycling or for donation to a local charity.
• Have strategically placed receptacles around the meeting area to collect recyclable items, with clearly illustrated signage.
• Have trash cans near the recycling bins to prevent food and other non-recyclable items being disposed in recycling bins.
• Collect nametag holders and lanyards at the end of the event for future reuse.