Greening the SLA Conference

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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
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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
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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
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Travel tips

• Fly non-stop flight to Seattle Repeated
  takeoffs and landings use more fuel and produce
  more emissions
• Rent a hybrid
• Use public transportation http//transit.metrokc.g
  ov/
• 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_ca
  lculator/30.php
• Offset your carbon emissions by purchasing a
  Green Tag www.greentagsusa.org/GreenTags/index.cfm
  
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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
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In the Exhibition Hall

• Servicesmassages, 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
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Accommodations

• Use hotel green programs
• Linen reuse programs in a 150-room hotel can
  save 6000 gallons of water and 40 gallons of
  detergent per month. (Green Suites International)
• Share a room
• Uses fewer resources
• Lighting
• Air conditioning
• Cleaning
• Bonus benefit Saves money!
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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 Programan
  organization that can provide usable leftover
  food to the needy in the area.
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Conference Sessions

• Post presentations on your divisions 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
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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), Its Something in the Water, available
  at http//www.friendsofanimals.org/actionline/wint
  er-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/bot
  tled_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
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After the Party What to do when you get back
home

• Keep badge holder and tote for next years
  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
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Go to Join/ Visit Communities add Green
Conference Initiative