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Green Meetings

Based on research by GfK, we know that one of Columbus’ reputation pillars is that it is a green and clean community. This is thanks to the work the City of Columbus has done to develop forward-thinking sustainability practices, both municipally and regionally, in order to conduct business events, popular celebrations, tourism activities or any other community endeavor in ways that best protect and preserve the natural environment for everyone, including generations to come.

Managed by the Mayor’s Office of Environmental Stewardship, The Get Green Columbus initiative focuses on internal city operations as well as external collaboration with stakeholders throughout the community. Touching a variety of aspects of existing as a “green” city, the initiative encompasses a wide range of areas including everything from renewable energy and green building design to conserving natural resources and RecyColumbus, a popular residential recycling program.

On the regional level, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC), the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and the Ohio EPA collaborated to create an evolving guideline for Sustainable Events throughout the Central Ohio area. Using the ASTM Standards for Environmentally Sustainable Meetings, Events, Trade Shows and Conferences and the United Nations’ Green Meeting Guide for inspiration and ideas, the resulting document provides a collection of environmental, social and economic sustainability practices that can be implemented by those planning or servicing the various components of a conference or event. The Sustainable Events Guideline can be found here.

The City of Columbus has won several awards for its sustainability efforts, which you can learn more about here. In late 2018, the city won the Bloomberg Climate Challenge, which includes more than $2.5 million in funding and in-kind technical consulting to accelerate efforts to reduce carbon emissions over a two-year period. You can read more about the award here.

Experience Columbus and the Greater Columbus Sports Commission

Experience Columbus is a member of the city’s GreenSpot Columbus program, designed to educate and recognize businesses that adopt green practices. An employee-led Green Team serves as stewards of the program and works to implement positive, sustainable changes within the organization and the community through lunch-and-learns, fundraising, service projects and more.

Proof of our commitment to green meetings can be found in the fact that Columbus is the first NCAA Women’s Final Four host city to receive “Evergreen” Sustainability Certification from the National Council for Responsible Sport. Learn more here.

Greater Columbus Convention Center Green Initiatives

The Greater Columbus Convention Center is committed to sustainable meetings. Learn more.

The Smart Farm inside the Greater Columbus Convention Center

smartfarm graphic recycling graphic energy efficient graphic green seal

Indoor, hydroponic Smartfarm

Single-stream recycling

Energy efficient HVAC and lighting

Use of Green Seal cleaning products