The Convention Industry Council's Accepted Practices Exchange Commission (APEX) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ASTM International, a West Conshohocken, Pa.-based organization that develops voluntary technical standards for a variety of materials, products, systems and services. The purpose of the memo: To begin the process of setting environmental standards for the meetings and convention industry."The vision is to create a set of best practices that will help planners and suppliers alike navigate the sometimes confusing process of making meetings and events green," APEX Director Sue Tinnish said in a statement.The ASTM-APEX partnership is a response to a request from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which amended its procurement regulations last year to mandate the consideration of environmental performance in its decisions to purchase meeting and conference space. Hoping to formulate standard environmental questions that it can ask of venues' procurement officers, the agency approached ASTM for assistance, which inspired the joint work with APEX."Collaborating with ASTM, which has more than 100 years of experience in developing standards through a voluntary consensus process, allows APEX to associate green meetings and events with an organization known for its best-in-class practices for standards development and delivery," APEX chair Terri Breining said in a statement.To develop and finalize their environmental standards, APEX and ASTM have created a task force comprised of government, business and industry stakeholders. Its next meeting is Sept. 28 through Oct. 1 in Miami.