When the president of the United States describes climate change as a “hoax” during a speech at the United Nations, it explains why public companies have entered into a new sustainability era that Eric Zimmerman, CEO of TripZero, refers to as “green hushing.”

Zimmerman, whose event housing agency enables clients to run more sustainably, says companies are holding firm on pledges to protect the environment. But in today’s geopolitical climate, they are not advertising their efforts for fear of stepping on a proverbial third rail, he notes.

“Some corporations are dialing down their impact statements; they are talking about them less,” says Zimmerman.

Caught in the middle are corporate meeting planners, who appear to be consciously maintaining their eco-friendly initiatives yet hesitant to discuss them. Environmentalists heavily involved in the events world, like Zimmerman, stepped up in their stead to discuss the state of sustainability in corporate meetings.

Here, we explore how events can take steps toward sustainability while dancing around what has become a hot-button issue.

Don’t try to be Perfect

After years of touting lofty sustainability goals, the C-Suite is playing catch-up in trying to match expectations with the reality of their progress. In some cases, eco-friendly promises were a case of companies “getting a little ahead of their skis,” says Zimmerman, explaining the results were perhaps not as grand as initially hoped for.

Just as the world was not created in a day, transforming the events world into an entirely sustainable industry is going to take time, says Courtney Lohmann, keynote speaker and founder of Courtney Lohmann Consulting, LLC. “The first thing to understand about sustainability is there is no perfect solution,” she says. “You can set a goal to be zero waste, but it will take years and several iterations of your process in order to accomplish it.”

Defining Sustainability

Setting too high a standard can be harmful in that it paralyzes organizations from knowing where to begin, says Nancy Zavada, CMP, president of MeetGreen, a sustainable event management agency helping corporate entities and nonprofit organizations produce events. In 2024, the organization assisted with 25 events ranging from 20 attendees to more than 57,000. IMEX, one of the meetings industry’s most-attended conferences, is among their clients.

Starting to incorporate sustainability in your decision-making process is the most important step, she adds.

“We’re defining sustainability as we go along,” says Zavada, who started her company 31 years ago. “The end hasn’t been defined. Just keep taking the next step.”

Planners appear to be heeding that advice. “Sustainability is alive and well; people are still interested,” says Zavada.

A recent study from the Harvard Business Review generally backs Zavada’s claim. Its study of 75 global companies — including the top 25 companies in the S&P 100, STOXX Europe and Fortune 500 — found that:

• 40% describe themselves in a holding pattern.
• 32% are accelerating their sustainability efforts.
• 13% have reaffirmed their eco-friendly goals.
• 13% are cutting back on their sustainability initiatives.

Chris Heeter, founder of The Wild Institute, which offers eco-friendly resources to meeting planners, and a sustainability keynote speaker, has been pleasantly surprised that her audiences seem more engaged than ever.

She is, however, concerned about the event industry’s short-term climate consciousness. “It seems to me that sustainability has taken a bit of a back step,” she laments.

Heeter fears that in spite of good intentions to protect the Earth, environmentalism has become a “finger pointing and shaming thing.

“If we can switch that up and make it exciting, we’d have better results,” Heeter adds.

Combatting Food Waste

Some of sustainability’s resilience in today’s headwinds comes down to values that many individuals hold personally and carry into their business practices.

“Nobody is in favor of wasting food,” says Jacquelyn Chi, director of community engagement at ReFED, a U.S.-based nonprofit working towards cutting down food waste. “That’s just a universal thing.”

Yet food waste is among the chief global environmental concerns across all industries. ReFED estimates that only 12% of the 14.5 million tons of surplus food that could be donated actually gets donated, equating to 1.75 million tons in 2023. Of that surplus, 12.7 million is attributed to food service businesses, including hotels, says Chi. More than 85% of the excess food went to landfills or was incinerated as waste. In other words, it was not repurposed in any way.

Meetings and events are known for F&B excess, particularly when serving buffet-style meals. Portion control and working with venue caterers or changing formats to interactive carving stations can make a difference, notes Chi.

“You can have more control over what is being served and when and how it’s being consumed,” says Chi, who previously was director of programs and special projects for the Culinary Institute of America for nearly nine years. “It also changes up the energy and the style of the event.”

Indeed, many environmental activists point out that eco-friendly initiatives have other benefits that align with corporate goals. Beyond saving on the bottom line, a top priority for cash-strapped planners — wellness-themed activities promote better engagement and productivity, thus leading to better ROI at onsite events.

Each May, ReFED leads by example. Its National Summit this year attracted 800 manufacturers, food service providers, nonprofit organizations and food recovery groups.

As an example of a small measure ReFED took to limit the event’s environmental impact, the organization worked with the host hotel in Seattle to use reusable pourers for sugar instead of providing one-and-done packets commonly available at coffee stations.

Donating leftovers to food banks helps feed underprivileged citizens and successfully repurpose goods. At MeetGreen’s retreat earlier this year, the organization made the connection between its host hotel and a local nonprofit one mile away.

“That left a legacy in that town for those two to really make a difference,” says Zavada.

Zimmerman says many event planners and organizations are wary of being cited liable for providing spoiled food. He notes companies are protected under the Good Samaritan Act, meaning their fears are unfounded.

To help the cause, Zimmerman encourages event professionals to be intentional with their F&B. He suggests crafting a primarily plant-based menu that reduces the carbon footprint, lowers costs and is easy to transport the leftovers after the meal. Red meat is a severe strain on the environment because of its associated methane and land use.

As a bonus, such menus play into the creative side of chefs, many of whom are vegetarian themselves, says Zimmerman. If the food can’t be donated, Zimmerman advocates for composting.

Flight Risks

In order to speak up for sustainability, Heeter travels often but has misgivings about it given the trail that air and car travel leaves in the atmosphere. Business travel comprises 17% of aviation-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to research published by ScienceDirect.

Heeter’s way of minimizing the damage is to donate $60, an arbitrary number, Heeter admits, to the Consumer Energy Alliance, which contributes funds to environmentally-friendly causes. Other common practices include planting a certain amount of trees and partaking in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture projects.

One trend to cut down costs — regional meetings, which also serve as a way to limit the environmental impact. Heeter also suggests carpooling or traveling in groups as much as possible. Some event planners may also turn toward more virtual and hybrid events to save on travel costs, which also benefits the environment.

Low-Hanging Fruit

Zimmerman says deploying certified carbon offsets to balance the huge footprint created by attendee travel is job one, and the first of three basic steps he recommends for meeting planners.

The second is cutting out plastics, including straws, water bottles and food containers. Seeking out alternative solutions, including aluminum cans, is an improvement, he says. Planners can also encourage attendees to bring their personal reusable water bottles.

Assisted by MeetGreen, last year, CleanMed removed bottled water from all guestrooms, saving an estimated 4,800 bottles of water. And by using water bubblers instead of individually bottled water, the conference saved 497,985 liters of water, the equivalent of 1,649 filled bathtubs.

The third, as alluded to earlier, is serving less meat. Outside of the environmental impact, planners would be responding to a regular complaint among attendees. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve never gone to a conference and thought, ‘Boy, this is a good steak,’” he deadpans.

Zavada says attendees won’t miss the meat with a well-conceived and executed meal. “We serve meatless meals at events, like lasagnas, and people would never know that they’re meatless,” she says.

Another inclusive idea is to save meat dishes for carving stations so that carnivorous attendees can get their fill without interfering with other individuals’ dietary and health preferences, adds Zavada. CleanMed also used this tactic, according to a case study on MeetGreen’s website.

Rethink the Basics

An increasing number of planners don’t consider sustainability a line-item, but rather part of their planning process.

Lohmann encourages CVBs to include their environmental initiatives into RFPs, so planners can find local organizations to partner with while demonstrating dedication to the cause. DMOs can also identify regional thought leaders as speakers to cut down on travel (and cost) while also showcasing the destination at the forefront of industries. For example, Destination DC, the DMO for the nation’s capital, features an entire website section on the city’s sustainability district.

Many hotels and convention centers already have multiple certifications demonstrating their efforts to reduce wastes.

Zavada says meeting planners also have simple measures they can take. For instance, she recommends planners rethink gift bags and other swag that typically is left behind or thrown away. Relying on digital signage reduces an event’s paper trail and fosters a greater need to use the event app, which companies rely on to connect attendees onsite.

Communication with attendees is another important element, says Zimmerman. While planners are shy discussing efforts with the media, he has seen increased engagement with the event’s community.

“Event organizers are leaning into sustainability, because they know it’s important to participants,” says Zimmerman. “Increasingly, they want to share their actions and results with attendees. They’re highlighting impact on their event websites, social media feeds and even onsite with signage at registration, on buffet lines and at composting stations.”

Golden Opportunities

Heeter pledges to not accept any speaking fees for engagements at events that are environmentally friendly. While some events have made great strides, she has yet to have the opportunity to cash in on that offer.

She adds that terms like “carbon neutral” have become politicized, making it hard to discuss solutions. As an example, Heeter noticed that the Radisson Blu in Bloomington, MN, stopped promoting its Carbon X program that captures exhaust from water heaters. She confirmed the hotel still has the solution, although it no longer promotes it — a sign of the times.

For her part, Zavada feels like sustainability should not be a political issue. “Let’s get rid of politics,” she says. “Let’s do what’s right for the planet. You don’t have to stand up, make a sign or protest. We have an opportunity as an industry to teach people lessons they can take back to their communities.”

Lohmann remains confident sustainability will stay relevant for years to come. “While the movement has felt slow, it has never stopped,” she says. C&IT