MEETINGPOD = GREENER EVENTS

The amount of paper we waste and the amount of energy we waste as we print is very large when it comes to planning events. A new tool for making events greener is the MeetingPod. This tool is very useful for board meetings or small breakout sessions. Each MeetingPod contains an amount of information that is to be given out during a meeting. Also, at the end of the meeting, everything you have discussed and received can be emailed straight to you from the MeetingPod.

I think this is a great way for people to focus during meetings also. There is better concentration as the right information is set in front of you on a screen. As much as it does save paper, the actual layout of the MeetingPod seems very awkward to me. It will just be a bulky device in front of each person during a meeting. It look as tho you would be taking a stardarized test during a meeting. Although it will save from creating waste and harm to our environment, everyone will be busy looking down at their screens instead of the speaker. It would be the same as keeping a laptop in front of you while in a meeting.

I feel that there will be an ongoing issue on what exactly is the right way to present information to meeting attendees. Paper waste is horrible but it cannot be avoided at conferences and meetings. There are still large generational gaps. Some people want physical papers, and some people just don't mind going electronically. The MeetingPod does seem to look like a solution, however, there are still different ways in which people conduct meetings.