NLC Spruces Up Green Meeting Practices for Green Cities Conference
by Charlotte Van Duser
 With the first NLC Green Cities Conference scheduled for April 18-22, 2009, at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Ore., NLC is trying to change the way meetings are planned by taking environmental impact into consideration at every turn.
At the Green Cities Conference, city representatives and those who work with them will find everything in one place to launch or enhance green initiatives in local communities — access to a large and targeted group of experts, vendors, planning activities, tools and real world examples.
In addition, it is hoped that the green practices employed in the NLC Green Cities Conference will serve as a model and inspiration for others who wish to “green” their future meetings and conferences.
The first step in planning green was to identify a location that was ahead of the curve environmentally and Portland was a logical top choice, having been recognized in Popular Science magazine ranking as the number one green city in the U.S.
The challenge of implementing a green meeting can be greatly reduced by selecting a site that already meets green standards and automatically offers an array of green practices. In Portland, NLC was able to secure the Oregon Convention Center, the first convention center to receive certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Existing Buildings’ (EB) rating system. The center has been upgrading fixtures and equipment in pursuit of LEED certification for the entire million-square foot facility.
The Oregon Convention Center’s aggressive recycling and waste management efforts have succeeded in diverting 266 tons of materials from landfills in fiscal year 2007-2008, with an overall diversion rate of 43 percent (up 12 percent over the previous fiscal year). The center hopes to achieve a 50 percent or better overall diversion rate during this fiscal year.
The convention center is also a top-level supporter of the Blue Sky Block Program, Pacific Power’s voluntary wind-power purchase program. The Blue Sky Block program is one of three options giving Pacific Power’s Oregon customers a way to help grow the demand for renewable energy.
Additionally, Portland has one of the best public transit systems that can be taken from the airport and is free in the convention zone. Participants at the 2009 Green Cities Conference will be able to use public transportation to travel from their hotels to the convention center.
NLC is also including a carbon offset contribution in all registration fees and will hold an eco-focused exposition as part of the event. All companies will be created equal with one 10’ x 10’ exhibit booth, to eliminate the need to ship large custom booths to Portland. Read the list below to see how else NLC is reusing, recycling and reinventing.
For more information on the 2009 Green Cities Conference & Exposition and to register, visit www.NLCGreenCitiesConferenceandExpo.org
Here are some things NLC is doing to Green its Meetings – Reuse, Recycle and Reinvent
Food & Beverage:
• Work with the caterer to plan menus around what is in season locally.
• Choose organically grown products as much as possible.
• Go vegetarian, as the carbon impact is much less than when serving beef, fish, chicken, etc.
• Donate leftover food to a food bank or shelter.
• Compost or donate to a farmer any food that cannot be donated.
• Use centralized water coolers with compostable cups, instead of individual bottled water.
• Use china or biodegradable service products for all meals.
• Serve condiments in bulk.
• Avoid serving foods that are heavily packaged.
• Use bulk water and non-disposable containers in lieu of the usual disposable bottled water.
Facility:
• Make sustainability practices an important determining factor in the site selection process.
• Pick facilities with indoor motion detectors for lighting and/or timers for heating and cooling.
• Make sure the facility can recycle paper, cardboard, plastic, cans, glass and grease at a minimum and that exhibit areas are included.
• Establish a reuse program and collection area for conference bags, exhibitor giveaways, etc… to be donated to a local charity.
• Recycle name badges.
• Use recyclable or reusable signage, which also saves money.
• Insist on environmentally responsible cleaning products at the facility and at least 35 percent post-consumer recycled bathroom tissue.
In Meetings:
• Turn off Audio-Visual equipment when not in use.
• Use white boards instead of paper flipcharts.
Marketing:
• Use e-mail and Web-based marketing more often than print.
• Print on recycled paper using natural based inks or paper made from paper certified as coming from managed forests exhibiting sustainable practices.
• Use a “green” printer whose practices include soy ink, ink conservation, use of wind power, etc..
• Double up marketing efforts by promoting in things to which the audience already subscribes.
Exhibits:
• Provide an online service kit only.
• Limit exhibitors to a 10’ x 10’ booth – reduces carbon emissions produced by shipping a larger booth.
• Encourage the use of e-brochures by exhibitors.
• Encourage exhibitors to provide only earth friendly premiums and printed materials.
• Recycle and reuse aisle carpet.
In General:
• Encourage the use of public transit.
• Limit giveaway items and make sure that they are made with recycled materials.
• Include a carbon offset in registration fees — don’t make it an optional add on.
• Make sure that all conference hotels have a sheet and towel reuse policy in place.
• Choose meeting vendors that are locally based whenever possible (audio-visual, decorator, etc…).
• Reduce items in the registration bag and make it self-serve to reduce waste.
• Select a registration bag that is made of recycled materials and that can be used after the conference.
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