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ISMRM & ISMRT
Sustainability Initiatives

We are committed to sustainability.

Help us reduce the environmental impact of our society by taking part in our initiatives.

What You Can Do
Now, at Meetings & in Future Travels

When Attending an Event:

  • Offset your airline carbon and/or hotel stay in the event location and make a donation during the registration process. Donations will be made to Conservation International.

  • Four laws of ecology:

    1. Everything is connected to everything else.
    2. Everything must go somewhere.
    3. Nature knows best.
    4. There is no such thing as a free lunch.

    Barry Commoner
    The Closing Circle
    1971

    When you register for the meeting, you will have the option to pay your offset by calculating your own specific CO2 tonnage. The ISMRM will send all moneys collected for carbon offset to Conservation International. To assist in these efforts, we recommend the use of this carbon calculator.

    The ISMRM has selected Conservation International for Carbon Offset Donations given during the registration process for Annual Meetings. Please make your donation through the ISMRM or ISMRT registration process so that we can track and report out after the annual meeting the total donations.

  • Reduce your luggage weight in order to reduce fuel usage on your flight. Simplify and reduce luggage and disposables. Pack less and use reusable water bottles and coffee mugs.
  • Take public transportation to/from the airport (both at home and in the event city) and around the event venue. Check out the Toronto Transit Commission for more information on public transit at the 2023 meeting.
  • Walk to/from your hotel to the venue.
  • Participate in your hotel’s linen reuse program. Look for more information at your hotel’s front desk or in your room.
  • Use the website for the event you’re attending instead of printed materials. Every meeting and workshop has its own dedicated site at ismrm.org, which contains event materials and travel guides. The sites work well on mobile devices as well as computers, and we’re always looking for more ways to improve usability.

What We Are Doing
Now & in the Future

Central Office

  • Provide carbon offsets for all staff event travel.
  • Digitize as much as possible; Stop printing paper files & records.
  • Participate in our building’s green initiatives.
  • Recycle old electronics.
  • When replacing electronics, acquire new devices that are more power-efficient.

ISMRM & ISMRT Boards & AMPCs

  • Stop using printed materials
  • Provide carbon offsets for all board & AMPC travel.

Travel/Onsite at an Event

  • Provide carbon offset estimates (see the “What You Can Do” column on this page) and donation options during event registration process so that attendees can easily make a donation to offset their airline travel carbon and/or stay in an event’s city. Donations will be made to Conservation International.
  • Contracted hotels are within walking distance of event venues whenever possible.
  • All Central Office employees traveling to an event will offset their airline carbon and, when possible, use ride-sharing or public transportation options to and from the airport and hotel.
  • ISMRM will ask all exhibitors & vendors traveling to the annual meeting to offset their airline travel carbon.

Venue/Exhibition

  • Take advantage of a given venue’s sustainability practices. For example, Metro Toronto Convention Centre’s corporate social responsibility.
  • In the annual meeting’s exhibition hall, use carpet or carpet tiles that can be reused at the venue (carpet only the aisles between the booths, not the Digital Poster Area nor Power Pitch Theaters).
  • Use recycled cardboard for any printed signage.
  • Use digital signage whenever possible.

Event Catering

  • Avoid individually-wrapped snacks and condiments.
  • Use only locally sourced food items.
  • Serve boxed lunches in compostable or recyclable containers.
  • Connect with a local food bank to donate any extra boxed lunches so that we may share locally and better serve the city that hosts our event.
  • Supply adequate hydration stations for attendees to refill their own water bottles.

Printed Materials

  • Print locally and on at least 50% recycled paper to reduce paper usage and carbon from shipping, as well as support local businesses.
  • Print less material and encourage attendees to use our event website.
  • At the annual meeting, combine the ISMRM & ISMRT Exhibition Guides into a single booklet.

Virtual Attendance

  • Make attendance available virtually to eliminate travel carbon altogether for those who can’t or prefer not to travel.

Goals for the Future

  • For office supplies needed onsite at events, order locally and then donate to a local school or charity instead of shipping to the venue and back to the Central Office.
  • Phase out the printed Program Guide, Technical & Poster Exhibition booklet, and other printed materials.
  • Phase out non-eco-friendly booth giveaways.
  • Convert to eco-friendly badges once current inventory has been depleted.
  • Add a Community Support Activity to the agenda so that ISMRM & ISMRT can leave behind a positive legacy in the city where the event is held.
  • Develop metrics to determine the current baseline and on-going carbon footprint of ISMRM related events, in order to identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and to track progress.
  • Develop metrics aimed at estimating carbon emissions of related to travel to potential Annual Meeting sites to help guide Annual Meeting site selection aimed at minimizing carbon emissions.