Green Meetings

Photo Credit to Connor Betts

AMS is proud to share its Green Meetings Initiative for meetings and scientific conferences, which includes working with vendors and locations that support this guidance.

Local Area Goals

The City of Madison has been named among greenest cities in the US in 2023[1].The City of Madison has taken efforts to develop their City's Sustainability Plan through:

  • Natural Systems - Madison will create a state of balance between the natural and built environments wherein human, plant, and animal communities live in harmony.

  • Planning & Design - Our built environment respects the natural environment and provides convenient access to food, health, recreation, economic livelihood, and other basic needs for individuals and families through compact urban design.

  • Transportation - Madison is a leader in the promotion and provision of alternatives to driving alone and the reduction of mobile source emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

  • Carbon & Energy - Madison embraces sustainable approaches to fuel our economy and community, achieving an 80% carbon reduction by 2050.

  • Economic & Development - Madison strengthens its overall economy by engaging entrepreneurs, growing the workforce, developing spaces and a built environment that support and encourage a regenerative green economic climate while reinforcing the expansion of existing businesses and encouraging the development of new green business.

  • Employment & Workforce - All citizens in Madison are able to access the training they need to secure quality jobs and to advance along a career pathway.

  • Education - An informed citizenry that is committed to the stewardship of resources, respect for place, and the health and well-being of the broader community, now and in the future.

  • And Many More

Venue Goals

The Monona Terrace, “honors the legacy of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright through its sustainability initiatives”[2]. 

In November 2021, the Monona Terrace was certified as a “green building” at the Platinum Level by the U.S. Green Building Council’s prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) program[1]. 

Through these initiatives, the Moana Terrace provides Sustainable Conferences by:

  • Composting - Monona Terrace and Monona Catering have been in partnership with UW Wisconsin’s WE CONSERVE composting program since August 2010.

  • Green Cleaning - Monona Terrace uses environmentally safe cleaning products to help protect indoor air quality.

  • Catering Operations - Monona Catering uses china dishes and cloth napkins for the majority of events and offers biodegradable cups and similar recyclable products to guests when necessary.

  • Recycling - Monona Terrace recycles over half of its solid waste including used and outdated electrical equipment.

  • Water Usage - Due to recent upgrades in restroom fixtures and an industrial water-saving dishwasher­—Monona Terrace’s water usage is 46% below the LEED benchmark.

  • Green Energy Purchasing - Monona Terrace uses Green Energy purchasing to offset 100% of electric power consumption and 100% of non-electric carbon emissions. This equates to 1,465 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and purchase of 7,328,482 kWh certified clean source electricity.

  • Lighting - Monona Terrace’s interior lighting has been converted to Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures.

Learn more about the Moana Terrace Sustainability Goals here.

Hotel Goals

Please view the below resources to discover how the 32nd Conference on Weather Analysis and Forecasting (WAF)/28th Conference on Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)/20th Conference on Mesoscale Processes Location and Accommodation are going green and practicing sustainability:

[1] https://ecocation.org/greenest-cities-in-the-us/ 
[2] https://www.mononaterrace.com/sustainability/