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Green Meeting Policy
Conference Green Meeting Policy
The U.S. EPA is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of the 2009 Community Involvement Training Conference. With this goal in mind, we will:- Reduce the use of paper by disseminating information via the conference web site, offering an on-line registration system, and reducing or eliminating copies of presentation materials for conference sessions
- Print conference materials on recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks
- Ensure that all conference materials contain recycled content
- Collect and recycle paper and beverage containers used at the conference
- Offer vegetarian meals
- Work in partnership with the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel to reduce energy and water consumption
- Promote public or shared transportation for travel between the hotel and the airport.
- Consider additional actions to reduce the environmental impact of the conference.
As in past years, the planning committee did lots of things to help make the Community Involvement Training Conference more earth-friendly, and we recruited attendees' help to make the eleventh conference one of the greenest ever.
Conference Booklet
We elected to not distribute paper copies of the conference booklet. Instead, we made reference copies available in session rooms, break areas, and at the reference desk, and an electronic copy was available on a common computer in the registration area. Keep in mind that eliminating the printed conference booklet saved more than 18,400 sheets of paper!
Tote Bag Exchange
Instead of providing participants with tote bags, we offered a "tote bag exchange." We invited attendees to bring an extra tote bag to exchange with others. This also provided an opportunity for other conference hosts to give away extra bags from their past conferences.
At the Conference we…
- Provided recycling containers and encouraged attendees to recycle newspapers, cans, glass, including those from their guest room, in marked containers in the conference area. Any recyclable items placed on the food service trays located throughout the conference area were also recycled behind the scenes.
- Encouraged registrants to participate in the hotel's water, energy, and detergent conservation efforts by following the instructions posted in guest rooms.
- Highlighted the conference's efforts to reduce the use of paper by limiting conference handouts at registration, using folders or handouts printed on high post-consumer recycled content paper using vegetable-based ink, and encouraging presenters to limit handouts.
Thanks to the hotel for providing reusable utensils and dishes for breaks and for adopting other "green" programs.
For more information regarding the EPA Green Meeting Initiative please visit the following link: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/index.html