I first got a peek of the new APEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Meetings Standards in late March at the IACC-Americas Summit and was immediately impressed and perplexed by its sheer heft and complexity.

What’s currently scheduled to start rolling out late this summer is nothing if not thoroughly thought-out and logical, and I truly hope that both planners and suppliers will take the time to wade through the details and arrive at a solid set of standards to clearly define what level of sustainability individual meetings rise to.

Sure, there was a lot of head scratching going on in that room full of suppliers at IACC, as the end result will probably arrive in the form of various documents and worksheets that when combined will rival a small-town phonebook in terms of thickness. And as far as being the be-all, end-all standard, even though the crafters are modestly allowing for, and expecting, the further revisions that will be inevitable in an undertaking like this, I’ve got to say it’s probably going to be pretty close to complete.

Our cover story this issue explores what to expect, and the massive amount of committee work behind this impressive undertaking, check out our article Green Meetings  to see what resident expert Marlene Goldman found ut.