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Greening the SLA Conference

Greening the SLA Conference . What you can do to lighten the environmental impact of conference attendance Presented at the 2008 SLA Leadership Summit, Louisville, Kentucky by the Environment & Resource Management Division 1. Purpose and history of this initiative.

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Greening the SLA Conference

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  1. Greening the SLA Conference What you can do to lighten the environmental impact of conference attendance Presented at the 2008 SLA Leadership Summit, Louisville, Kentucky by the Environment & Resource Management Division 1

  2. Purpose and history of this initiative • Inspired by keynote speech by Al Gore at SLA in Denver 2007 • ERMD board meeting (June 2007) • Can we reduce the negative impact of our conference on the environment? • Working group assembled • SLA Board Meeting (November 2007) • Launch of new Community of Practice (http://cop.sla.org/COP/GreenConferenceInitiative/) • Extending the initiative beyond Seattle • Future conferences and chapter/division events • SLA headquarters • Member libraries/organizations 2

  3. Some sobering statistics • Waste produced by a 5-day conference with 2500 attendees • 90,000 cans/bottles • 75,000 drinking cups • 87,000 napkins Society for Independent Show Organizers 3

  4. Travel tips • Fly non-stop flight to Seattle: Repeated takeoffs and landings use more fuel and produce more emissions • Rent a hybrid • Use public transportationhttp://transit.metrokc.gov/ • Calculate your carbon footprint and use offsets for conservation efforts • Carbinofy Calculator www.safecom.org.au/carbon.htm • Native Energy www.nativeenergy.com/pages/travel_calculator/30.php • Offset your carbon emissions by purchasing a Green Tag www.greentagsusa.org/GreenTags/index.cfm 4

  5. At the Registration Desk • Reuse your badge holder Reusing name badges and plastic holders for a conference of 1300 attendees can save approximately $900 [Society for Independent Show Organizers] • Use your own tote bag 5

  6. In the Exhibition Hall • Services—massages, handwriting analysis, charitable contributions— rather than “stuff”. Commend vendors who offer these alternatives already. • If there MUST be giveaways – • reusable water bottles • reusable tote bags rather than plastic/glossy paper • office supplies • NOT battery-operated flashing pins and pendants. • Ask exhibitors to email their brochures 6

  7. Accommodations • Use hotel green programs Linen reuse programs in a 150-room hotel can save 6000 gallons of water and 40 gallons of detergent permonth. (Green Suites International) • Share a room Uses fewer resources – Lighting Air conditioning Cleaning Bonus benefit: Saves money! 7

  8. Meals • Promote more plant-based meals • Livestock production is a major contributor to soil/water pollution via feedstock production and animal wastes • Encourage those arranging receptions and meals to offer more choices of lighter fare (i.e., vegetarian and vegan options) • Look for restaurants featuring locally-produced foods • Less fuel used for transport • Benefits local farmers, many of whom might have smaller, more sustainable operations • Leftovers • SLA HQ has advised ERMD that they work with food event planners to minimize food wastes. The Convention Center and hotel have a standing relationship with Fare Start Program—an organization that can provide usable leftover food to the needy in the area. 8

  9. Conference Sessions • Post presentations on your division’s web site • If there must be handouts – Multiple slides to a page Double-sided copying Recycled paper • Off-site meetings within walking distance or accessible by public transportation 9

  10. More Tips Reduce plastic container waste [eg. bottles and bags.]: --Only 17 percent of discarded plastic bottles are recycled, leaving many more to pollute the environment. [See, Kobel, Peter (2008), “It’s Something in the Water,” available at http://www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/winter-2007_08/Its_Something_in_the_Water.php & Sierra Club, Bottled Water: Learning the Facts and Taking Action (Feb. 2005), available at http://www.sierraclub.org/committees/cac/water/bottled_water/bottled_water.pdf ] --Bring a reusable water bottle from home. If you forget, look for vendors offering them in the Exhibit Hall. --Refill reusable travel sized containers from supplies at home, or switch to solids/refillable powders, i.e., shampoo/conditioner bars, for travel. --Bring a reusable bag from home to carry items gathered from exhibits, rather than accumulating more plastic or non-recyclable bags at the conference 10

  11. After the Party: What to do when you get back home • Keep badge holder and tote for next year’s conference • Get presentations on Divisions’ web sites • Use the Greening the Conference COP (http://cop.sla.org/COP/GreenConferenceInitiative) to suggest ideas for future conferences • Apply concepts to local meetings • Apply more environmentally-friendly practices to your work and home life 11

  12. Go to “Join/ Visit Communities” & add “Green Conference Initiative”

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