Chicago Meeting Professionals Guide - 2026
Meet sustainably
2025-12-29 10:38:49
Make a big impact on your attendees — and a small impact on the environment. These Chicago venues, hotels, and transit providers will help put some green in your gathering.
VENUES/PLANNING
Loft on Lake’s peachy brick walls and oak bow trusses set the stage for a more intimate affair. Overhead, a 65-foot arched skylight reduces daytime electricity needs, while a robust recycling program and eco-friendly cleaning products minimize environmental impact.
The Paramount Group can manage your event from planning to catering to staffing. Their commitment to composting and donating excess helps minimize waste. Schedule a tour of the organic greenhouse at their campus restaurant Eden, growing fresh produce year-round.
Versatile event venue Larkin Hall is landfill-averse, composting food waste, paper products, and plant-based cutlery. On-site Blue Plate Catering is a Certified Green Caterer, sourcing 60% of their produce and dairy locally during peak season.
The consultants at Purpose can help plan your sustainable event strategy. Educate your team through their comprehensive trainings. Or enlist their experts to set sustainability goals for your events and create a roadmap for reaching them.
HOTELS
Green Seal Silver-certified Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park keeps sustainability front and center. Water-conserving fixtures and high-efficiency HVAC systems tackle waste, while vegan bath products are clean and cruelty-free. On the rooftop, beehives and herb gardens support local pollinators.
Virgin Hotels Chicago brought new life to a 1928 bank building. Now LEED Gold-certified, the hotel uses smart thermostats to conserve energy and recycles soaps through Clean the World. Guests can donate $1 per night toward forest preservation in Indonesia.
Once the largest hotel in the world, the 1927 Hilton Chicago is now among the greenest, with waste reduction programs and a rooftop garden. Their LightStay initiative can offer suggestions to reduce your event’s carbon footprint and provide a postevent impact report.
The Kimpton Gray Hotel repurposed Chicago’s 1894 New York Life Building, saving it from demolition. The hotel sources local ingredients from sustainable farmers and partners with Clean the World to keep soaps out of landfills.
TRANSIT
Chicago’s extensive public transportation system makes it easy to get around. The ‘L’ train has stops at both Chicago O’Hare and Midway International Airports. And the city is working toward an all-electric bus fleet by 2040.
Bikeshare provider Divvy offers classic bikes, ebikes, and scooters for single rides or all-day rentals. Unlock your wheels from over 800 docking stations around the city and hit the bike lane.
If your attendees are coming from the Chicago suburbs, the Metra commuter rail provides easy — and eco-friendly — access to the city. These trains reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 256,000 tons annually!
And for those traveling from farther away, Amtrak trains arrive downtown at Chicago Union Station from cities across the country. Amtrak trains are 34% more energy-efficient than flying, and 46% more efficient than driving.
FOCUS ON McCORMICK PLACE
Learn some sustainability facts about North America’s largest convention center.
McCormick Place recently achieved Gold Level Certification to the Event Industry Council’s Sustainable Event Standards, in recognition of its continued leadership in environmental and social responsibility.
Its farm-to-fork rooftop garden — the largest in the Midwest — grows 8,000 pounds of produce annually for on-site food and beverage operations. Food waste becomes nutrient-rich fertilizer.
McCormick Place offsets 100% of its electricity usage with certified wind renewable energy certificates, helping to protect migratory birds.
Fight2Feed, a nonprofit fighting hunger and food waste that recently moved its operations into McCormick Place, has rescued millions of pounds of food to provide meals for those in need.
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