( St. Louis, MO  May 2009 ) The Board of Directors of the International Association of Conference Centers introduced a rigorous Code of Sustainability at the 28th annual conference in March to encourage member properties around the globe to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices in nine areas: Education and Awareness, Waste Management, Recycling, Reuse, Water Conservation, Purchasing, Energy Management, Air Quality, and Food & Beverage.

According to Lois Berg, Chair of IACC™s Sustainability Committee (Director of Administrative Services at The Johnson Foundation, Inc. at Wingspread Conference Center), the Code will allow member properties to commit to sustain and support IACC™s Environmental Policy, adhere to at least 75% of  the tenets of the Code, and join other member organizations that have signed the Code in a global, association-wide effort to strive for greater sustainability.

Following the annual conference, the Sustainability Committee sent the Code to members along with a survey to determine their status with regard to 59 practices.  Members that responded to the survey indicated whether each of the practices was in place, planned or no plans.

IACC recognizes members that have signed the Code of Sustainability in three tiers: To qualify for the Platinum tier, they must have 100% of the code™s practices in place; for the Gold tier, 85% of the practices are in place; and for the Silver tier, at least 75% of the practices are in place.

One member property has qualified for the Platinum Tier (The Johnson Foundation, Inc. at Wingspread Conference Center) meeting 100% compliance with all 59 tenets.  Sixteen member properties have met the Gold tier, and 14 member properties have qualified for the Silver tier. 

A list of all IACC members that have met at least 75% of the tenets of the Code of Sustainability is available online along with the IACC Environmental Policy Statement and IACC Code of Sustainability. Go to:

http://www.iacconline.org/education/index.cfm?fuseaction=environmental

IACC ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY STATEMENT

The International Association of Conference Centers shall be a leader in creating environmental awareness among IACC member properties and their clients. We do this by communicating the initiatives that we have researched and identified as having a lesser environmental impact; by encouraging IACC members to adopt these environmentally responsible practices into their business operations; and by continuous improvement to our own management efforts; all with the goal of reducing our carbon footprint and environmental impact.

Founded in 1981, the International Association of Conference Centers is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting understanding and awareness of the conference center industry and to providing member properties with the tools necessary to provide an exceptional meeting experience. Active members meet a set of stringent Universal Criteria and agree to a Code of Ethics. Currently, the association includes approximately 400 members from the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, France, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Japan. For more information, visit the website at www.iacconline.org.  IACC = exceptional meeting experiences.

IACC joins key leaders from organizations representing the meetings, events, and incentive travel industries united in the issuance of acceptable business travel practices.  These guidelines build upon the existing best practices, and are designed to ensure transparency and accountability as well as to protect the ability of companies to conduct legitimate meetings and events including association meetings, events, and trade shows. 

James M. Mahon

914-548-5835

[email protected]