BBC News 12 Nov 07;
A management system to help organisers reduce the environmental impact of staging an event has been launched by the British Standards Institute (BSI).
Energy use, waste reduction and protecting historical sites are among the areas covered by the new standard.
The green benchmark, BS 8901, was set up in response to the growing demand for environmentally and ethically sound goods and services, the BSI said.
It is hoped that local as well as global events will use the scheme.
Large-scale events have been coming under increasing pressure to take into account their impact on the environment.
This summer's Live Earth concerts, organised by former US vice-president Al Gore to highlight the issue of climate change, were accused by critics of sending out a mixed message. They said it was hypocritical for performers to fly around the world in order to push the message of cutting down on carbon emissions.
"Increasingly, customers are demanding sustainable products and services," said Mike Low, director of BSI British Standards.
"BS 8901 will serve as a road map for organisations wanting to improve the sustainability of their events.
"This standard provides a simple framework which can be used to address concerns such as reducing carbon emissions and improving resource efficiency."
LINKS
Sustainable events? BSI invites organisers, venues and suppliers to trial new standard on the BSI website
Green Conventions on wikipedia
