…and it’s almost here!

Of course, I’m talking about the 2008 Advancing Ethical Research (AER) Conference, which is set to kick off in just three days. PRIM&R staff and volunteers strive to plan conferences for human subjects protections and animal care and use professionals that provide rich content and professional value. All that learning and networking can result in a whole lot of consumption: conference guides, forms, educational materials, session handouts, coffee cups, water, food, electricity… It adds up! Therefore, we also strive to produce these events in a manner that conserves energy, minimizes consumption of natural resources, and reduces waste.

As a general principle, the PRIM&R staff works hard to emphasize a greener way of living, working, and learning. This is especially relevant to our largest event of the year, our AER Conference. Minimizing resource consumption, conserving water, and reducing waste are just a few of our green-meeting efforts. We also make sure that the conference venues we select demonstrate similar values. For example, the site of the 2008 AER Conference, the Swan and Dolphin Resort, employs broad-reaching efforts to minimize energy consumption. Among their efforts, the Swan and Dolphin:

• Encourages in-room recycling and provides supplies to simplify sorting
• Saves water by not washing linens daily, unless otherwise requested
• Provides “grab and go” box lunches to reduce the use of packaging materials
• Offers water coolers with recyclable cups to minimize waste

We know that it’s next to impossible to be 100 percent earth-friendly, but we’re proud to do our part to ensure the greenest meetings—organization—possible. After all, we want to host many, many more Advancing Ethical Research conferences, and we look forward to improving our green-meeting strategies with each one. If you notice an opportunity to help us expand our green efforts, please let us know!(Posted by Catherine Rogers, Marketing Coordinator)