Sustainable meetings: How to save CO2 on business trips

What is a Green Meeting?

A Green Meeting is an event, such as a convention or conference, that is designed to be as resource-efficient and environmentally friendly as possible. Setting up a Green Meeting can be quite a challenge. After all, there are many aspects to consider: From travel to equipment in the meeting room to accommodation and catering for participants, there are many things you can do to make an event that little bit greener. But don't worry: We'll take you along and explain what you need to pay attention to!

Do we still need business travel at all in the age of Zoom & Co.

Since the start of the Corona pandemic at the latest, digital meetings have been booming: Zoom, Teams and Skype now accompany our working day; many companies are moving meetings, conferences and even training sessions to the digital network. This has some advantages: By eliminating business trips and travel to meetings, companies save money - and the environment is happy, too: fewer business trips also means fewer CO2 emissions. So should we only hold meetings online?

No, many companies think. After all, meetings in the "real world" can still make sense, especially for critical negotiations, further training and team-building measures. "Zoom is no solution," was also the headline of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2020, referring to a study by Harvard economist Ricardo Hausmann, who found that important know-how is best passed on in person. The Corona pandemic has prompted us to question which business trips make sense and which don't - encouragingly, according to the results of a study by SAP Concur, many companies now want to adapt their travel policies to make meetings greener. Green meetings are on the rise. In this post, we'll take you step-by-step through what's involved in sustainable meetings.

Greener travel: How climate-friendly are planes, trains, cars and long-distance buses?

Airplane: The fact that flying is not very environmentally friendly has probably become common knowledge by now: In addition to CO2, which is harmful to the climate, flying also releases nitrogen oxides, aerosols and water vapor, which contribute to global warming. Since these substances are emitted at high altitudes, they have an even greater impact on the greenhouse effect than if they were released on the ground.
Rail: Rail is considered to be particularly climate-friendly - and often rightly so, since long-distance trains have even been running on green electricity since 2018. In a direct comparison, according to co2online.de, traveling by train from Berlin to Cologne, for example, produces ten times less CO2 than traveling by plane. However, it should be noted that not the entire rail network is electrified. Some trains therefore still run on diesel power, which has a correspondingly poorer environmental impact.
Car: Many companies provide their employees with a company car so that they can get from A to B flexibly. It's great if they use an electric car for this purpose. After all, electric cars often have a better environmental balance sheet than trains. With internal combustion engines, however, the picture is quite different: The German Federal Environment Agency has calculated that cars emit an average of 152 grams of greenhouse gases per kilometer, while long-distance trains emit only 50 grams.
Long-distance bus: The coach is often even more climate-friendly than the train: it emits only 36 g of greenhouse gases per kilometer, according to calculations by the Federal Environment Agency. Buses are often better utilized than trains, so the eco-balance is more positive. If companies want to transport a large number of employees to a conference, it can be worthwhile from an environmental perspective to hire a bus.

Meeting greener: What distinguishes a climate-friendly conference room?

Once we arrive at our destination, it's now a matter of selecting a climate-friendly conference room. Here's what we need to consider:

Bright, quiet and well tempered: The ideal meeting room is quiet, well-tempered and lets in plenty of light - this saves us the energy needed for artificial light sources and also creates an ambience in which meeting participants feel particularly comfortable and can concentrate well. Perfect if the seminar room has a lot of nature in front of it, which invites you to linger and reflect during the breaks.
Sustainable equipment: Of course, a successful Green Meeting should not be without the right equipment: Tables, chairs, pin boards, notepads and pens - all of these should ideally be produced from sustainable materials, such as recycled paper and renewable wood. In addition, it is important to ensure that the equipment comes from manufacturers in the region if possible - in other words, that it has not been transported long distances. We use green electricity to power laptops and beamers in a climate-friendly way.
Brain food for in-between: Drinks and snacks are essential to promote concentration. Highly sugary and fatty snacks are not helpful, however - instead, we rely on fresh water and healthy smoothies, nuts, muesli bars and fruit. Again, all products should come from the region if possible, contain lots of good nutrients, and be certified organic.

Recover greener: Sleep well in the BIO HOTELS®.

After a day of meetings, one thing is especially important: a good night's sleep. This is the only way to internalize what has been discussed and learned. Breaks and rest are important for productivity, so it is advisable to turn off your laptop and cell phone completely in the evening and cut off all radio signals. Many BIO HOTELS® therefore deliberately keep their rooms simple: no distractions from TV and co.; the WLAN signal is also willingly switched off overnight. This way, conference participants can completely relax. Sleep well in the cozy beds of our BIO HOTELS®: organic bedding made of 100 % organic cotton, natural mattresses made of renewable materials and beds made of natural wood - this is what an overnight stay in a green conference hotel looks like. In the morning, we replenish our vitamin reserves with a healthy organic breakfast and start the day in top shape - exhaustion? Not on a business trip in the BIO HOTELS®!

Green Meeting Hotels

Our BIO HOTELS® have already thought of everything so that your conference will be holistically green. Here you will find modern conference hotels close to nature, with sustainable equipment, green electricity and healthy organic snacks. Discover more about the topic:

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