“When I told my career counselor that I liked to travel, this is not what I had in mind”. Three hours into a business conference, and I was already tapping my heels to go home. I’d flown the red-eye the night before, had woken to a generic continental breakfast with generic coffee, and was now watching a generic powerpoint presentation. Living out of a suitcase is no picnic, as any business traveler will tell you.

To me, even more offending than the verbose speaker were the bad environmental habits on display. Disposable coffee cups, disposable water bottles, disposable lunches – throw-away conveniences flourish in the conference environment. I have a hunch that some of the discomfort felt by conference-goers tends to be caused bad environmental habits. It’s no secret that coffee is more enjoyable from a durable mug than from a paper one. Talk About Coffee published a thorough article a year ago, detailing how paper cups can negatively affect the taste of coffee. The basic gist is that pieces of the disposable cup disintegrate into the coffee and contaminate the flavor. Also, disposable cups don’t hold heat.

Even more recently, a psychology study from Sheffield University in the UK concluded that coffee (and tea) tastes better when enjoyed from a favorite cup.

My own theory on the correlation between bad eco-habits and poorly received business conferences is cultural. Most of us grow up learning the importance of hosting a party properly. We clean up the house before guests arrive, we serve cold drinks, and we break out the good china when important people drop by.

When a host ushers conference-goers to a coffee table with cheap throw-away cups, attendees are reminded that their comfort isn’t actually all that important.

There are exceptions. At a recent one day conference in California, my conference hosts took subtle measures to boost conference-goes mood. Immediately noticeable were the coffee cups. At this conference, ceramic coffee mugs had replaced the ubiquitous paper cups commonly used. The same was true for other foods and drinks. Pitchers and cups replaced plastic water bottles; a serving pitcher replaced individual coffee creamers; sugar came in a dish instead of in little packets.

Given my thoughts on reusable coffee cups, I felt like cart wheeling down the halls in excitement. But it wasn’t just the eco-obsessive who seemed to enjoy the change. Everyone in the room seemed to feel more comfortable and at ease. As an audience, we seemed more eager to participate in discussions, ask questions, and work in groups when asked. The conference hosts benefitted too. Every conference photo that was taken, tweeted, or posted to a blog showed conference attendees holding coffee cups branded with the host company’s logo.

Planning a conference? Why not treat your attendees well, and nix the disposable materials. You’ll do a small part for the environment, and your attendees will thank you.

Lead picture courtesy of jaako on Flickr Creative Commons.

Tags: bottles, business, ceramic, coffee, conferences, disposable, eco-friendly, forum, green, host, sexy, speakers, sustainability, sustainability is sexy, travel, water