To ensure the sustainability of the 41st IAPCO Annual Meeting & General Assembly (18-21 February 2010, Hotel Grande Bretagne, Athens), the host organisation AC&C, Professional Congress Organiser, member of C&C International Group of Companies together with IAPCO have taken some serious actions to reduce the meeting’s carbon footprint.

To begin with, all participants have been encouraged to submit a voluntary fee of 10€ for carbon offsetting purposes. To this end, “Post Bank Green Institute”* has kindly offered to calculate the meeting’s carbon footprint as well as to undertake the remaining offsetting balance.

Participants have also been encouraged to use the metro as the easiest, fastest and “cleanest” way to commute from the Athens International Airport to the Hotel Grande Bretagne (meeting venue) instead of being transferred by taxi or bus. Additionally, car pooling has been suggested as the preferred way of commuting from the company’s offices to the venue to all AC&C staff and representatives.

Location, location, location…..another major factor towards reducing the meeting’s greenhouse gas emissions. Hotel Grande Bretagne is conveniently located - literally adjacent to the central metro station of the Athens Metro - and at walking distance from the majority of sightseeing and shopping attraction of the city. This way, participants were able to commute and explore the beauties of Athens on foot!

Among the significant “green” initiatives of the 41st IAPCO Annual Meeting & General Assembly, was the cut-back on printed materials (only 10% above the number of pre-registered participants), the designated recycling spots around the meeting’s secretariat as well as the controlled use of air conditioning in the meeting rooms.

* “Post Bank Green Institute” is a subsidiary of the Hellenic Post Bank, created in 2009 with the goal to provide quality integrated services relating to sustainable development to private and public organisations in Greece and abroad.