Published 09-15-05
Submitted by Green Meeting Industry Council
The recent events in the Gulf area due to Hurricane Katrina remind us of how interdependent we are and how delicate the web of balance is. In the hospitality industry, we rely on many resources whose availability depends upon maintaining that balance. Things such as oil for transportation of people and goods and food production, natural gas for heating space and water, trees for paper products, crops and clean water for meals, are all vital to the success of our events. Yet their supply is also greatly affected by natural disasters, geopolitical events, climate change and resource depletion.
The hospitality industry has a tremendous sphere of influence, including those working in hospitality and also every other industry we interact with via event planning. Because we often operate on a large scale, the decisions we make have a greater impact and are seen and felt by our vendors, clients and meeting attendees.
We have an extraordinary opportunity at this conference to discuss what we can do as an industry to minimize our impact and dependence on these resources and to widely implement and make those changes evident. By being proactive, we not only help mitigate future resource problems, but also set an example and help lead other industries to do the same. This is our call to action and we must be ready to answer.
To sign up for the "Greening the Hospitality Conference," please visit www.greenmeetings.info.
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