Need a bit of VITAMIN GREEN in 2013?

I look forward to attending the GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference every year! I hope to see you in Chicago where we will be Creating Sparks!

Pens In Space

We have all heard the “space pen” pseudo legend: a kind of/sort of/trueish story passed down for generations since the 1960’s when we began sending folks to the moon. A story that grew and changed over the years until it finally became an uber ridiculous example of some overachieving agency spending millions of dollars and countless hours developing a pen that writes in zero-gravity.

The question still remains: why not use a pencil?

Did the early astronauts need to sign legal documents while in space or was it simply a case of someone not seeing the forest for the trees? Was it an overwhelming urge to improve on something that didn’t really need improving?

Perhaps it was the “simple equals boring” theory.

Why do we insist on over-thinking? We spend a lot of time, resources and energy trying to determine whether or not the zebra has white stripes on a black background or black stripes on a white background. Why not just enjoy the zebra for the beauty that it is, and focus our energy somewhere more worthy?

In our zeal to constantly be improving, evolving and changing, we sometimes (often) miss the point.

Yup…..we could have used a pencil.

There is something strange happening in the green meeting industry, a pre-epidemic of sorts where reduce, reuse and recycle is being trumped by “redesign" (imagine rethink/repurpose injected with performance enhancing drugs).

Why?

The beauty of sustainability is that it needs little, if any, embellishment. It needs no bedazzling. It will always work in zero-gravity.

It requires commitment. It requires partnership. It requires communication. It requires education. It requires persistence. It doesn’t always require a label that says, “NEW and IMPROVED”.

How can we resist the urge to over-think?????......resist the urge to throw glue all over the project and glitter the crap out of it (metaphorically speaking of course….)

How can we resist the urge to “redesign” when “rethink” is the most appropriate R to use?

Here are some that I came up with – Keeping Sustainability Simple (KSS):

1. Communicate your skills and abilities early in the planning process – if you are aware of a strategy that is proven, if you have valuable knowledge to share that will help streamline a process – share it with your team. You can convince them that this time, the space pen is unnecessary.
2. Reduce – Ask yourself: Do you need it? Is it necessary? Can it be combined with something else? Can it be replaced with a product or service having less of an environmental footrprint?
3. Reuse – Can I use it again?
4. Recycle – What am I going to do with it when the event is over? Can it be recycled?
5. Repurpose – One example: Creating conference bags out of old vinyl signage
6. Every now and then….get back in the box – There has been so much emphasis on thinking outside of the box that honestly…..there is no one left in the box anymore. And do you know what? That is where we keep the pencils.......and they write just fine

Judy

Becoming a Magpie

Inspirations come from the strangest places: signs on the highway, songs on the radio, words spoken on a television program. 

Yesterday while watching Anderson Live, Alan Cumming (one of my fave actors who surprised me by speaking with a strong Scottish accent which just illustrates further how great he is on The Good Wife because you would never, ever know he was Scottish…..annnnnnnyway I am really digressing here). Alan Cumming was asked, “How do you choose the roles you play?” and he replied with, “I am like a Magpie” and he then went on to explain that he liked a variety of different roles. I didn’t even hear the last part of the interview because I was dashing around looking for a pen to write down the word “Magpie” and of course I couldn’t find a pen ANYWHERE so I texted the word to myself (because as a nomophobic I always have my phone within reach).

Why did I like the word so much? Why did the word “Magpie” resonate so deeply with me?

A Magpie is a black and white bird with a really long tail and where I live, they are EVERYWHERE. Not to be confused with a crow, which is all black and likes to tear apart your garbage and strew it all over the yard before the garbage truck arrives. No….a Magpie is different. Don’t get me wrong….no one seems to like the Magpie either. As I was googling the “Magpie” one article started with, “Magpies are the birds everyone loves to hate” and then calls them the “equivalent of a football hooligan”.

Magpies are opportunistic, tenacious: seemingly less comfortable in the air, choosing instead to forage for food while on the ground, scratching with their feet to determine if it is edible. They are smart and have a remarkable memory. Sources site that the European Magpie has a penchant for “shiny things” even jewelry, stealing items and storing them in their nest. The birds mate for life.

Ummm……sooooooo…..why would I want to be like a Magpie? (I actually had to stop and ask myself that, “Judy….why the hell do you want to be a Magpie? They seem like unethical bastards…..maybe you should choose a different bird or maybe even a fish…like a goldfish,  or even a guppy to emulate).

No, believe it or not, I can see some great qualities in the Magpie.

The magpie likes variety. It is adaptable. It is smart. It is fearless. It makes the most of each and every circumstance and situation.

My word for 2013 is VARIETY and learning to embrace my inner Magpie: be fearless; make smart choices and be adaptable when circumstances change.

Last year was horrible. Not only was it filled with sadness, disappointment and personal struggle, I constantly fought against my love of “variety” – feeling that I would have to give up my gypsy-like career path for something more stable. The consideration paralyzed me with fear.

Never again.

I will not apologize for my love of different,

My love of challenges,

My need to learn, 

My love of “try”.

2013 is the year.

That I learn to love myself

and……

embrace my inner Magpie.

Judy

The Accidentally Green Event

On Saturday night I attended the Small Business Christmas Party at a local Event Centre. It was a fun event: great food, great venue, great music and great company. The Small Business Christmas party was designed and planned so that a multiple of small businesses could enjoy a holiday staff party, do it as a group, and thereby create so many more advantages. A wonderful idea! It was also, in many ways, a sustainable event. I think that the organizers might be surprised to learn that by consolidating a number of small business parties into one larger event, they became “green(er) by accident”.

Green meeting and event planners are always looking for ways to tie events together, or combine events to minimize the environmental footprint. The Small Business Christmas Party was a perfect example of this sustainability strategy: a group of individuals choosing to have one larger gathering instead of many, smaller holiday parties. Why is that a better alternative? At a singular event, less fossil fuels are used, less energy is consumed and less waste is generated and placed in the landfills. Here are some examples:

·      Delivery companies make a single trip to one venue which cuts down on the use of fossil fuels

·      Only one venue is used on one night decreasing the amount of energy consumed (light and heat)

·      Food waste is minimized - every event can generate substantial food waste (folks who RSVP positively but then do not attend, incorrectly confirming plate numbers, food scrapings)

·      Paper waste is minimized – one party equals one invitation.

·      Less signage required

·      Floral centerpieces are generated only once, which minimizes waste and the use of fossil fuels to transport to different venues.

Congratulations! Good Job!

It doesn’t make it any less impactful if the sustainability strategies were unintentional. In fact…….many, many folks are sustainability specialists without even knowing it. Labeled as “frugal”, they are conscientious about their use of power and water. They creatively upcycled items before upcycling became trendy. They garden so that they have homegrown food throughout the year.

During the holiday season it can be difficult to be mindful of sustainability. Here are a few tips for a greener Christmas:

Minimize Food Waste: Be mindful when creating meat and cheese or veggie platters for guests because we tend to make them too large and the result is disposing of a lot of it at the end of the evening. Store your prepared meat, cheese and vegetables in zip lock bags in the refrigerator and replenish your “smaller” platters more often.

Locally Made Gifts: Craft sales have a bevy of locally created items to choose from to give as a gift at Christmas.

Support Local Business: By shopping locally we sustain our local businesses.

Recycle your old Christmas Cards: There are many uses for old Christmas cards: cut them down and use them for gift tags, slip them underneath a clear liner to create a pretty tabletop or….the list is endless.

Make a donation: There are many local organizations who rely on donations to operate. Do a little research, find out if they need money or if they have a wish list you can contribute towards.

Wishing you all a very merry, “greener” holiday season!

Clap Your Hands!

My nephew Ben, a wee bit over two years old, toddles along playing with his toys. His days and nights are full of “firsts”. The first time he walked, the first time he talked, the first time he slept through the night. 

These “firsts” become a blur of daily occurrences, and at times, we forget how absolutely remarkable this little human being can be. Never fear! Ben reminds us.  On one particular occasion Little Ben manipulates a transformer toy, and then places it on the table with a flourish, looking at each one of us expectantly……then, bursting into a big smile, he claps and then we clap and pretty soon he is giggling and we are all clapping in unison.

Children are pretty smart. When they do something remarkable, they ask and oftentimes demand acknowledgement.

Why can’t adults do that?

Wouldn’t it be cool to give/get some applause and affirmation from time to time?

Instead…… we hold back our praise because, in our opinion, it wasn’t amazing enough or perhaps we are jealous.

What constitutes “Amazing Enough”? When did we become so under-whelmed with life?

I think that apathy is a habit that we can break. Wouldn’t you rather live in a world filled with positive reinforcement and praise? Wouldn’t it be nicer to live in a world where we look at each day as a “first” and celebrate it and everything that comes with it?

Here is the world that I would love to live in:

·      We say please and thank you ALL THE TIME

·      We recognize small accomplishments with praise (and yes….maybe sometimes applause)

·      We make an effort to attend and support all milestones: birthdays, anniversaries, graduation’s, new jobs, etc.

·      We regularly congratulate our co-workers on a job well done.

·      We aren’t embarrassed when we are happy and excited about something – when we are happy and we know it we wear that happiness with pride

·      We celebrate life’s baby steps

·      We appreciatively and without reservation, sit in silence for a few short moments on November 11^th.

Why the “Deep thoughts by Judy” today? I am not so sure….. It could have come from thinking about Remembrance Day this past Sunday and how important it is to acknowledge folks and what they have accomplished.

I am saddened when I think about the day that Ben turns to someone looking for a pat on the back and none is forthcoming. When he looks around expecting applause and there is silence. Is that something that happens when you grow up?

Wouldn’t it be nice if that didn’t have to happen?

Judy