I love to hear from you!

After  my recent post entitled, "If it walks like a duck...", I have received numerous emails about my assessment of biodegradable, compostable and recycled content single use products.

First of all, thank you for your emails. I appreciate the feedback and sometimes it prompts me to go back and read....yes read once again, what I wrote.

We do not live in a perfect world and until that time, we will still need to use single use products occasionally. I realize that and I applaud those manufacturers who are always seeking a better alternative for us to use. There are some wonderful, innovative products hitting the shelves and it is one of those companies who, in their quest for a more environmentally friendly product, are going to stumble upon something fabulous!

My goal behind writing the post was to encourage everyone to compare products and select the one that best serves their individual needs and must take into consideration what is available in their community and municipality for recycling and composting.

Thank you again for your emails!

J

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck……

As a green event planner, I often hear, “but if I use those new compostable plates, then I am being green…right?”

The companies who produce single use products are trying very hard to convince us to continue using their products. In response to a more savvy consumer, many new products have hit the shelves.

Compostable vs. Biodegradable vs. Recyclable

Compostable

 'Compostable' products are biodegradable, but with an added benefit: when they break down, they release valuable nutrients into the soil, aiding the growth of trees and plants. These products degrade within several months in an industrial composting facility and produce no toxic residues. These products are commonly made out of polylactic acid, sugarcane fibre or vegetable starch. “Bagasse” is sugarcane fibre.

A backyard composter is NOT an industrial composter and while you can compost small quantities of these products in your backyard composter, you certainly cannot compost the volume of the materials which would result from an event.

Do not put compostables into your recycling!

 Biodegradable

 ‘Biodegradable' simply means that a product will break down into carbon dioxide, water and biomass within a reasonable amount of time in the natural environment.

Biodegradability is a desirable feature in cleaning agents, but not really that desirable in single use food service items. Biodegradable products can be disposed of in your garbage, but the landfills lack the microorganisms and oxygen required for the waste to biodegrade in a timely manner. 

 Recyclable

‘Recyclable’ products are anything that can be remade into something new. While most paper recycling can’t deal with food contamination, forcing you to throw out the used food service item, you can purchase single use products made out of recycled material.

So what does this all mean? It means that you have to continue to educate yourself and make informed choices on behalf of your clients.  Single use items are "single use" and at the end of the day, you have to remember that and make your choices and decisions accordingly. 

If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck.....it is still a duck.

J

Do you take anything in your coffee?

Who is a conference planners' greatest asset? That would be her speaker(s) of course!

You work hard to make sure that your participants are comfortable, but how hard do you work to ensure your speaker(s) are happy?

A happy speaker = a better speaker. Better speaker = happy participants. Here are my tips for ensuring you have a positive relationship with your conference speakers.

• Engage them often throughout the planning process. Often we book our speakers up to 6 months ahead of our event. Alot can change from the first time we spoke to them so make sure you drop them a line giving them an update about your event.
• Give them the "lay of the land". If you are not doing their hotel booking, make sure you recommend a hotel that you are familiar with. Look for a hotel within walking distance of the event venue.
• Channel your inner "welcome wagon". About 2 days prior to their arrival, email them a "welcome wagon" package which contains information about the community. Make sure you include maps or links to maps for the running/walking trails, the location of the closest Starbucks/Tim Hortons, a movie listing for the dates they are in town for, etc. I usually partner with the local tourism office to compile this information. Be sure your your package includes any changes to the conference agenda.
• Offer them a ride. Don't assume that they will be renting a car at the airport, make sure you offer them transportation. Even if you don't have time to pick them up, often there is a member of your conference team who can pick them up and deliver them to their hotel. 
• Leave a message. Leave a personalized voice mail message on their phone in their hotel room that they can listen to upon arrival. It may say something like, "Welcome Susan! Thank you for participating in (insert conference name). I wanted to invite you to the reception this evening downstairs in Grand Ballroom. It begins at 7:30 and dress is casual. I look forward to meeting you"
• Rise and Shine! It is really important that you are available in the morning to meet your speakers/facilitators as they arrive at the venue. They have spoke to you over the phone, they have corresponded by email, now is the time to meet them face to face. Which brings me to the next tip....
• Youtube! I have met my speakers "virtually" prior to the event by harnessing the power of Youtube. I have uploaded a short video welcoming them, providing details about the event, etc. They really like being able to put a face to the name.
• Don't leave me! There is nothing worse than seeing a speaker panic when their powerpoint won't work, or their mic quits. Make sure that you provide audio/visual assistance for your speaker. They will appreciate it...believe me
• Thank you! Two small words, big impact. Let them know you appreciate their participation.
• And the survey says.....Lastly, provide them with the post event survey results, particularly the results that are about their presentation. Even if the results are not all positive, your speaker wants to know.

J

Don't let powerpoint have all the power!

As a meeting planner, I get to watch many, many (did I say many) powerpoint presentations. Some are very good, some are not. Here are the top seven ways presenters can regain the power of powerpoint!

1. Be the star of your own show! Powerpoint should be used to support your presentation, not be the focus of your presentation.
2. Limit the slide clutter! The audience should be listening to you, not reading the slide. Use text and charts sparingly.
3. Templates........are boring! Quit using the built in templates....believe me, we have seen them before. Either design your own or possibly look to the Mac Apple Keynote program to add some excitement to your layouts.
4. Careful with the clipart! Clipart can look unprofessional. Either choose it very carefully or look for high quality graphics.
5. Video, video, video! If you have an opportunity to incorporate some video that is integral to your presentation, go for it. Be careful with music...it can make you or break you.
6. Bullets shouldn't fly! One of my biggest pet peeves is fly in bullets...on every page. While the odd flying in bullet can be whimsical, 30 slides with bullets flying in each one gets tedious.
7. Discover Pecha Kucha! Applying this simple set of rules to the presentations: 20 slides for 20 seconds. Six minutes and 40 seconds maximum. It is a thing of beauty!

J

A few of my favourite things...to read

I love, love to read and I often bring some of the books I read to my green meeting workshops to share with participants. Today, I thought I would share a few titles with you! They are in no particular order.

The 100 Mile Diet - A year of local eating by Alisa Smith and JB MacKinnon
I enjoyed this book. A couple of things prompted me to buy it; one being that they were from British Columbia and I am from BC and the other because I wanted to learn some practical guides to eating local. It delivered!

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
This book is a must read! It is fabulous

Ecoholic -Your guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products and services in Canada by Adria Vasil
Good book, the information is well laid out

Cause for Success - 10 Companies that put profits second and came in first by Christine Arena
Good book, good for CSR reference material


Slow Death By Rubber Duck by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie
This book is difficult to get through, not because of the way it is written, but because of the information that is provided. It shocked me, but informed me. Remember, knowledge is power. I would recommend this book.

Simple Steps to Green Meetings and Events by Amy Spatrisano and Nancy Wilson
Every planner should have this book! Mine is dog-eared and coffee stained. It is an important read for any planner who wants to cross over to the "green" side

Giving by Bill Clinton
Good book, introduces the world to unknown heroes

Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber
No, this isn't a book about global warming, it is a fable about doing well in a changing world. It is a must read! These writers are genius!

These are just a few of my books, I have so many more. Can you recommend any good books?