Green Meetings Initiative

The AMS community is deeply concerned with building a more sustainable future for our planet. As a Society, we are working to implement that vision in everything we do—so we are proud to announce our latest initiative, Green Meetings.

AMS is building on current sustainable practices with our guidelines that govern how we conduct our meetings and scientific conferences, and what partners and venues we choose to work with.

What AMS is Doing–and What You Can Do

Over the last year, AMS has worked hard to implement green meetings initiatives at all specialty meetings. We are proud of the progress we have made to increase the sustainability of our meetings, and we look to build on the initiatives we have previously implemented. The initiatives listed below will be present at the 105th Annual Meeting and are standard for all AMS meetings. That includes providing eco-friendly options for you to improve your green footprint as a meeting attendee—we strongly encourage you to participate in these initiatives.

Increasing our vegetarian/pescetarian/vegan menu options
Working with venues to prioritize locally grown/sourced, plant-based meals with a low carbon footprint.
Collecting RSVPs for food events to provide the right amount of food and reduce waste.
No longer using aisle carpet in exhibit halls to reduce usage of single-use items.
Donating all furniture, decor, and giveaway items after an event.
Utilizing digital signage when possible.
Requesting AMS waste and donation data from all AMS meeting venues.
- Trash, recycling, composting, etc.
Offsetting all staff travel by purchasing carbon offsets.
- Green Meetings in Action: We will be offsetting emissions from all 2024 staff travel by purchasing offsets from Bonneville Environmental Foundation upon the completion of the 2024 Specialty Meeting season.
Encouraging staff and attendees to use public transportation around New Orleans.
Offering badge holder and lanyard recycling via boxes in the registration area.
- Green Meetings in Action: We recycled over 9 pounds of badge holders and lanyards from the 104th Annual Meeting.
Encouraging attendees to offset meeting travel by purchasing carbon offsets.
- Offset your travel by purchasing carbon offsets here.
Minimizing printed materials.
- If you need a meeting program, please request one during the registration process (to open in late October). Otherwise, please use our online program and meeting app (Coming late 2024!) to plan your day and see what’s next!
Printing on materials that are reusable, recyclable, eco-conscious, etc.
Continuing to offer a virtual attendance option for all meetings.
- Green Meetings in Action: Our 500+ 104th Annual Meeting virtual attendees averted an estimated 360,000+ kg CO2e in travel-related emissions.
Using compostable or reusable tableware for meal events.
Conducting a site visit to explore sustainability in practice at each meeting venue.

Sustainability and New Orleans

New Orleans is placing a greater emphasis on sustainability post-pandemic and is making concerted efforts to reduce the overall carbon footprint of the city. While the LEED Gold certified New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) is the main focal point of this progress (highlights listed in the Sustainability and AMS Meeting Venues section), there are many other projects, programs and partnerships that the city engages.

Learn about the programs that the Office of Resilience and Sustainability in New Orleans has implemented here.
Check out some tips on how to be a sustainable tourist while in New Orleans.

Consider taking public transportation to get around New Orleans like a pro.

Check out New Orleans’ streetcars - a staple of public transportation in the city. Check out other public transportation in New Orleans here.
- Streetcars in New Orleans are fully electric and provide an easy, and cheap, way to get around town
New Orleans has recently acquired the first EV-350 Transit electric freight vehicle in the state of Louisiana, to be used as their daily transit van.

As a coastal state, Louisiana knows how rising sea levels could threaten their more than 7,700 miles of coast. Check out the Coastal Restoration and Protection Authority for more on Louisiana’s coastal conservation efforts.

Even events like Mardi Gras have made efforts to promote sustainability to reduce and divert waste. A program called RecycleDat! was created in 2023 by New Orleans & Company in partnership with the City of New Orleans, Arc of Greater New Orleans (ArcGNO), NOLA Ready, Grounds Krewe, Can Manufacturers Institute and more non-profits. The initiative aims to keep as much waste as possible off of the streets by relying on the community to participate in the efforts. Discarded beads, glass and aluminum cans can be recycled at one of their recycling hubs along the parade route. Learn more about the project here

To view more information on Sustainability in New Orleans, click here.

Sustainability at AMS Meeting Venues

The New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC), located in Downtown New Orleans, is committed to reducing environmental impacts and helping their clients meet their sustainability goals. By implementing a series of building upgrades and energy-saving strategies and expanding their recycling, composting and donation programs, the NOENMCC is committed to reducing their overall carbon footprint.

Waste - The NOENMCC expanded their recycling program, with recycling for attendees in the front of the house and dedicated collection areas for cardboard, metal, pallets, and plastic. The NOENMCC diverted over 400,000 lbs of material from landfills through their robust recycling programs in 2022. Centerplate/Sodexo, NOENMCC’s food service provider, composts organic kitchen waste, and most serving-ware is plastic-free and made of biodegradable materials.
Upgrades- As part of an ongoing $557-million capital improvements plan, the NOENMCC has completed major upgrades designed to make the facility better for all who enter.
Green Building Practices -The NOENMCC has reduced outdoor light pollution, improved green cleaning policies and integrated pest management and switched to more environmentally friendly refrigerants.
Food Donations - The NOENMCC and Sodexo Live! coordinate food donations to local partners including Bethel Colony and other local organizations, which collectively received over 64,000 lbs. of donated food in 2019.
Energy - The NOENMCC has overhauled their lighting and air conditioning systems — replaced 5,000 light fixtures and changed out two cooling towers — to increase efficiency and reduce energy use. Additionally, they have an automated scheduling system that turns off escalators and reduces light and HVAC requirements in unoccupied areas.
Water - The NOENMCC has 87 water bottle filling stations in the building (map found here).

Certifications and Awards

The NOENMCC is a LEED Gold certified facility! The U.S. Green Building Council awarded the NOENMCC a gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a designation that recognizes highly efficient, green buildings in 2022. The NOEMNCC is the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED v4.1 O+M. Learn more about the certification here.