ANR initiated the Smokefree Meetings campaign in 2004 to encourage organizations
to host meetings only in smokefree cities, or to negotiate smokefree meeting
venues in the absence of a smokefree city. Since the initiation of the campaign,
at least 27 organizations (listed below) have made the commitment to smokefree
meeting venues.
The campaign has been gaining steam, as demonstrated by the
flurry of smokefree meeting policies adopted in recent years.
Organizations that have adopted such a policy include:
American Academy of Nursing
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Heart Association
American
Legacy Foundation
American
Lung Association
American
Medical Association
American
Public Health Association
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights
ASTHO (Association of State and
Territorial Health Officials)
Campaign
for Tobacco-Free Kids
Canadian
Public Health Association
C-Change
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health
Colorado
Public Health Association
Foundation for a Smokefree America
Indiana
Tobacco Prevention & Cessation (ITPC)
Montana Cancer Control Coalition
National
Association of Chronic Disease Directors
National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
National Association of Local Boards of Health (NALBOH)
National
Cancer Institute (NCI)
National Conference on Tobacco or Health
National
Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation -Tobacco Policy Change Collaborative
Society
for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco (SRNT)
Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Texas Comprehensive Cancer Coalition
Tobacco Free Kansas Coalition
Tobacco-Free
Kids Action Fund
Tobacco
Technical Assistance Consortium (TTAC)
Urge your professional
organization to pass a resolution to host all future meetings in smokefree cities
to provide a healthier environment for meeting attendees, show support for smokefree
air, and provide positive reinforcement to smokefree cities. The number of smokefree
cities, states, and countries is growing at a rapid pace, making this decision
not only the right thing to do, but also very easy. Visit http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php?dp=d13|p140
to identify smokefree locations.
If there are no smokefree cities in your state, your group could still adopt
a resolution making smokefree meeting facilities a priority. The Westin Hotels
& Resorts instituted a 100% smokefree policy for all its North American
accommodation facilities in January 2006. All of the Westin's hotels and resorts
in Australia, Ireland, Fiji, New Zealand, and Scotland are also going smokefree
this year. In addition, Marriott International, Inc. instituted a 100%
smokefree policy for all of its 2,300 hotels and corporate apartments in the
United States and Canada 100% smokefree effective October 16, 2006. This includes
nearly 400,000 guest rooms under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton,
Renaissance, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace
Suites and Marriott ExecuStay brands. Sheraton Hotels are also smokefree.
You may also wish to view our Smokefree Travel
Section for information on other smokefree hotels and resorts.
ANR
encourages state and local professional and community organizations to adopt written
resolutions as well. You can use ANR's model smokefree
meetings resolution to help get you started on your own policy. Please let
us know if your organization adopts a resolution and we will add you to the list!