The 2012–2013 SOT Council is reviewing the Annual Meeting as a strategic Mega Issue. Part of this process involves a review of all available data including input from the Annual Meeting Survey. In reviewing this information, some interesting details about the distribution and use of the Annual Meeting Program came to light.
The Annual Meeting Program is a useful resource for all members—historically it has been printed and mailed and has also been made available in PDF for download via the SOT website. In May, SOT Council discussed that the Annual Meeting Programs are sent to all SOT members even though they may not be attending the Annual Meeting. In addition, copies of the SOT Program are freely available at the Annual Meeting. The impact of this practice is that approximately 12,000 Programs are printed, and every member receives a copy in the mail whether they attend the meeting or not. Each year, several hundred books are printed but never used and then discarded for recycling. Additionally, some members do not use the Program at all, as options such as the Itinerary Planner are available to search and organize schedules for the meeting. In an effort to be more “green” and cost efficient, the following changes are being implemented for the 2013 Annual Meeting on a trial basis:
- Individuals who register for the Annual Meeting will be asked to indicate on the registration form whether they wish to have the SOT Program mailed to them or choose to pick it up at the meeting. There will be a check box added to the registration form to indicate the desired option.
- For those members who do not register for the meeting, SOT Programs will be mailed only if requested. Members will have to contact SOT Headquarters to request the Program. As noted above, the Annual Meeting Program (i.e., Sessions, Abstracts, and Meetings) is posted on the SOT website in January for download in PDF.
We will pilot this change for the 2013 Annual Meeting and then solicit feedback after the Annual Meeting. It is our hope that this change will significantly reduce the number of unused SOT Programs and bring savings to the Society.
Additionally, please feel free to contact any Council member or SOT staff with your ideas to support SOT becoming a more green society!
SOT Mega Issue Team—Denise Robinson-Gravatt (Chair), Jon C. Cook, Norbert E. Kaminski, Lois D. Lehman-McKeeman, and Betty Eidemiller