June 4, 2007—The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced plans to change its acquisition rules for its meetings and conferences to give preference to facilities that consume less and manage their resources in environmentally positive ways. The pace-setting rule change was effective May 1.
For the first time, EPA will consider environmental achievement along with such factors as price and past performance when buying meeting and conference space. The new regulation is a step toward giving priority to hotels and conference centers that demonstrate green progress.
According to EPA, the program is unique within the federal government, which spends $14 billion a year on travel. Much of that figure pays for hotel and other meeting spaces. EPA alone spends about $50 million on travel annually. The EPA program is seen as a template that eventually may be emulated government wide.
EPA anticipates that its Green Meetings Program will have a positive impact on the meeting and hospitality industry. Experience has shown that the cost to many facilities in green upgrades is more than offset by long-term savings, notes EPA.
For information on the Green Meetings initiative or to review the acquisition rule, visit EPA’s Web site.
