Greenest Conference Ever

 

With the average conference producing 100-200 cubic yards of landfill waste in a matter of days, West Coast Green’s mere 6 cubic yards of trash at the Bill Graham Auditorium has event-goers across the country asking how they did it.

The West Coast Green Conference & Expo announced attendance and environmental figures today: 8,922 registrations, 126 presenters and 256 exhibitors, making it the largest residential green building event in history. But event organizers say they measured the event’s success first and foremost by environmental and quality standards. In the end, 96 percent of all garbage was diverted to compost and recycling.

To compensate for the environmental impact of the show’s 3000 pounds of printed marketing material, West Coast Green contracted with Zerofootprint.net, a program which planted 15 trees and restored 16,000 gallons of water in Rouge River (Canada).” In addition, all vendor food was certified organic and served with biodegradable plates, knives, forks, cups, and spoons. Garbage stations were staffed by hundreds of volunteers who helped sort waste into appropriate receptacles: compost, recyclables, and landfill trash. Exhibitors were prohibited from using vinyl and other known off-gassing materials in their exhibits and compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL) were distributed at the event.