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The Green Meeting Industry Council is challenging the meetings and events industry to divert, recycle or compost a million tons of trash between Earth Day, April 22, and the end of 2009. Announced at the Greening the Hospitality Industry 2009 Conference, the Million Tons of Trash Challenge is intended to be a catalyst for meetings, festivals and other live events to measure and reduce the carbon they emit, the waste they produce, and the water they consume. According to GMIC, the average meeting produces 20 pounds of waste per person per day.

"The Million Tons of Trash Challenge is a fun, competitive way to inspire the industry to measure and reduce the waste it produces, cut its carbon emissions, and save money along the way," said GMIC Board President Amy Spatrisano, CMP, in a statement.

Planners can participate in the challenge by entering the total weight of waste they recycle or compost into an online system. GMIC will keep a running total.

Are you going to take on the challenge? Interested planners can send an email to challenge@greenmeetings.info or visit www.trashchallenge.com after March 31, 2009.