United States Region 4
Environmental Protection Atlanta, GA
Agency
EPA-904-R-94-008
December 1994
x>EPA Don't Let Your
Next Conference
Go To Waste:
Go for the "GREEN"
Planning Environmentally Sound Conferences
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Recycled/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on 100% Recycled Paper
(50% Postconsumer)
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DON'T LET YOUR NEXT CONFERENCE
GO TO WASTE:
Go For The "GREEN"
Introduction
Conferences are universal. Anywhere there are people, there are
conferences, meetings, workshops and seminars. There are
conferences for teachers, medical and dental professionals,
engineers, chemists, counselors, accountants, managers, farmers,
ranchers, bee keepers, zoo keepers, public speakers, preachers,
military staff, government workers, business personnel, politicians,
buyers and sellers and even people who plan conferences.
Everyone goes to conferences.
^ We go to conferences to learn what others are doing in our field of
2 interest and to tell what we are doing. We listen to speeches, walk
through exhibits and talk with people.
4 We stay in hotels or conference centers. We meet people for
^ breakfast, lunch and dinner, or meals may be a part of the
CN conference. At breaks we talk while drinking coffee, tea, sodas or
¥^ juices and eating donuts, muffins, pastries, fruit, sandwiches,
chips, pretzels and on and on.
We wear name tags which help us meet new people and to
remember names of people we have met before. We are provided
with folders or notebooks, writing pads, pens and pencils. We
learned about the conference and received registration forms in the
mail.
Conferences can be informative, inspiring and even fun, but they
can also generate a great quantity of waste products. Unless we
plan wisely, we can end up with materials that cannot be reused or
recycled, in another word - garbage.
,, 5 rnvironmental Protection Agency
Region 5, Library (PI-12J)
77 West Jackson Boulevard, Uth Floor
Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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Goals
The primary goal in presenting "green" conferences is to reduce
waste. This conserves natural resources and protects the
environment. Waste reduction goes all the way back to proper
design of products and packaging and includes reduction in
volume and toxicity in the manufacture of products. Product
design includes factors for extending the life of products and
provision for reuse.
Other goals are to recycle materials, set an example for other
conference organizers, reduce costs and save landfill space. All of
the goals for "green" conferences are interrelated. For example,
the goal of reducing landfill volume is a function of reducing waste
and recycling materials and it also results in cost savings. In 1990,
195 million tons of household waste were produced in the United
States, according to data developed by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. Of that amount, 67 percent was sent to
landfills, 16 percent was incinerated and 17 percent was recycled.
Recycling and reusing materials can save money as well as help
the environment. Also, every group which holds "green"
conferences sets an example for others. Soon, sound
environmental management of conferences will be the norm.
Hotels/Conference Centers
Facilities should be selected where the management is responsive
to the "green" conference approach on waste reduction. The
facility should have a designated coordinator responsible for the
conference, including responsibility for waste prevention and
recycling.
All of the specific items presented below should be discussed with
the management during negotiation and planning. The
hotel/conference center should either provide the recycling bins
and collection service or arrange for recyclers to provide them.
Arrangements for voluntary reuse of linens, towels, soap, etc., for
multi-night stays in lodging rooms should be made. Also,
newspapers, cans, etc., from lodging rooms should be recycled.
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Printed Material
By far the greatest opportunity for protecting the environment in
holding conferences will be in managing the use of paper, both in
the amount and type, in particular, printed materials. Of course,
the use of recycled paper comes to mind first and foremost. Paper
with the maximum percentage of post-consumer paper content
possible should be used for all purposes, and the same is true for
recycled poster board.
The use of colored and glossy paper should be minimized if the
recycling program does not accept it. Colored ink can be used
effectively to call attention to information without using colored
paper. Unbleached paper and paper whitened with other than
chlorine or chlorinated compounds are not always readily available
but should be sought, since some chlorinated by-product
compounds can be detrimental to the environment.
Recyclability may be an issue on unbleached paper and should be
checked with the recycler.
The number of handouts should be minimized. Papers and
brochures can be shown by speakers during presentations and
copies made available rather than handing them out to all
participants. If writing pads are furnished, the number of sheets
should be limited to actual needs, perhaps 15 sheets for a
three-day conference.
Envelopes can be avoided by designing brochures and
correspondence for direct mailing. All materials should be printed
on both sides of the paper. Mailing labels backed with
water-based adhesives, if available, should be used to make them
fully recyclable.
Printing ink should be free of metals, such as lead and cadmium.
Soy-based inks are more easily recycled than oil-based inks and
should be considered. Reconditioned toner cartridges for laser
printers and facsimile transmission machines should be used.
Paper can be saved by maximizing electronic communication.
E-Mail can include bulletin boards and direct communications.
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FAX machines give you back your original after transmission for
use on the next FAX or for filing.
Posters and signs used at conferences should preferably be
erasable vinyl coated boards. Disposable poster boards should
be saved for reuse after the conference or donated to a school.
A substitute for the typical conference notebook is the use of file
folders. These folders come in single and accordion-fold styles
and can be recycled. Recycled-content folders and notebooks are
available.
Name Tags
Throw-away name tags are no longer acceptable in today's
recycle-minded society. Reusable clear plastic holders can be
used and collected at the end of the conference. Erasable name
cards that can be reused have been tried on a limited basis but are
not generally in use. Plastic holders that can be reused for
luggage identification have been tried. Some problems are that
regular conference participants soon run out of luggage needing
tags and the holders are not water tight.
One collection technique would be to take up the name tags at the
final session for use in awarding door prizes. Another procedure
would be to provide a well-marked, closed box with a slot in the top
for collection as everyone leaves. Open boxes are not
recommended, because people tend to throw trash in them without
reading the label. Boxes should be placed in highly visible,
convenient locations.
Name-tag holders with "alligator" clips generally work well for those
with pockets and lapels, but pins can be added to accommodate
those without them. Elastic loops around the neck generally serve
well, but sanitation concerns in reuse must be considered.
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Recycling Program
The best option for a recycling program is to utilize the system
already developed by the hotel or conference center. Conference
organizers would then only have to work with the staff to ensure
that containers are properly placed, the right materials are
collected, etc. Otherwise, a program will have to be worked out
with the hotel/conference center.
Recycling containers should be designed and arranged for the
convenience of conference participants and organizers. Staff
should not have to sort through the recyclables because of the time
involved, sanitation and safety. Therefore, multiple bins should be
used to cover the major types of materials. The bins should be
grouped together as a unit with trash containers and placed in
heavily travelled paths, including break and exhibit areas. Placing
the trash container(s) next to the recycling containers will minimize
the amount of trash ending up in the recycling bins.
Recycling and trash containers should be well marked as seen
from all directions, and signs should be placed above them. The
bin openings should be placed at waist height to make them as
easy to use as possible. Containers with lids will minimize
contamination of the materials. The number and size of containers
depend upon the number of people at the event, the frequency of
pick-up and the choices of bins available from recyclers. The bin
area should be kept as clean as possible, and bins should never
be allowed to overflow. Conference staff should be prepared to
empty them, if necessary, between regular pick-ups.
A unique container that catches a lot of attention for the recycling
cause is a Worm Bin which is really a small ecosystem. This is a
large container containing worms and soil. It is usually located in
break/lunch areas where food scraps can be dropped in. You get
on-the-spot composting with results being seen during the
conference.
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Breaks and Meals
The stacks of polystyrene foam and paper cups and individual
sugar packets seen regularly at conferences in the past are slowly
becoming history, being replaced by reusable implements.
Cups, saucers, plates, glasses, spoons, forks, etc., should all be
reusable. Cloth napkins may seem like a luxury but they save
paper and are reusable. Glass sugar containers with pouring
spouts should replace individual paper packets, and pitchers
should be used for cream/milk. Reusable spoons are the preferred
implements for stirring.
Juices should preferably be mixed from concentrates and served
from pitchers into glasses. The second choice is to serve them
from single or multi-serving recyclable or reusable containers.
Soft drinks would ideally be served from soda fountains into
glasses, but they are not generally available. Large plastic bottles
or aluminum cans are acceptable for pouring into glasses and can
be recycled. Some participants may want to bring their own cups.
At meals, reusable table cloths should be used. Individual servings
of butter/margarine in paper leave trash, so shared containers
could be used. It may be necessary to post staff or volunteers at
recycling containers after meals to "direct traffic" to the correct
bins.
Box lunches in recyclable cardboard should present no problem as
long as boxes are collected for recycling. Reusable plastic lunch
containers for participants to take home have been used
successfully. Food scraps should be composted when feasible.
Thin paper plates and paper napkins may be composted with food.
In some situations, unserved food could be donated to shelters.
Recently, a conference organizer asked the banquet manager for
the leftover sack lunches to take to a local mission. The manager
gave a long speech on how the hotel could be liable if people got
sick, and then she said quietly, "That was the statement I am
required to make. Now take them and do whatever you want with
them." So the sack lunches were taken to the mission, and about
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75 people enjoyed them for supper. There are organizations in
some areas that collect and distribute leftover food.
Exhibitors
Exhibitors should be encouraged to follow all of the guidelines all
other "players" in the conference will be following. Individual trash
containers should not be placed at each exhibit. Exhibitors and
their visitors would then be "forced" to use recycling bins that are
centrally located. If this is not feasible for some reason, two
containers should be provided at each exhibit - one for trash and
one for recyclable items.
Conference organizers should discuss the type of curtains, table
covering, etc., that will be used. Cloth is preferable, but other
suitable materials are being developed, some with recycled
content. Exhibitors should be encouraged to utilize recycled
materials in handouts, posters and displays and to print brochures
on both sides. Containers used only by exhibitors should be kept
out of sight to prevent others from using them. When the recycle
container at the exhibit becomes full, the exhibitor should take it to
the central recycling site.
Voluntary cooperation should be sought, or exhibitors may be
required to sign waste reduction agreements.
Motivation
As conference organizers, our dedication and enthusiasm for
protecting the environment through "green" conferences will spill
over to the participants. This snowball effect should be initiated
right at the beginning of the conference during the opening
remarks. Ways the audience can participate to make the
conference environmentally sound should be discussed.
The opening remarks should also motivate the participants by
explaining why each procedure is important and the benefits of
following that procedure. Some may take a little extra effort, but
we can lay down a challenge to go the extra mile. Stress that they
will be setting an example for others at the conference and for
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future conference participants. Depending upon the audience, you
may want to suggest that businesses should develop a "green"
image.
To strengthen the motivation, you may want to quote figures, such
as how many acres of landfill space or the numbers of trees that
can be saved or other data relevant to your audience. Specific
solid waste and recycling data on the conference city or area would
be of special interest.
You can keep the motivation going by using reminders throughout
the conference. Progress reports on the number of recyclables
collected may keep the interest up.
Checklist
To assist you in planning your "green" conference, a checklist is
provided. In the interest of protecting our environment and
providing for future generations, we encourage you to use the
checklist to make your conferences a bright "green."
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J.C. "Cham" Meredith, P.E., is a Senior Environmental Engineer
with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, Atlanta,
Georgia.
Larry Estes is a Solid Waste Coordinator in the Pollution
Prevention Program at the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality, Jackson, Mississippi.
Acknowledgement
The authors express their appreciation to Ms. Robin Mitchell of
EPA Region 4 for her technical and editorial assistance.
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„ s.
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'0 Chicago, IL 60604-3590
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lecklist
te: Go For The "Green
rterial
ed paper/poster board with post-consumer
1
>p-less" mailings
labels backed with water-based adhesive, as
le
'nbleached or bleached with other than
compounds
asily recycled (minimize glossy or colored
ied printing and copying
] ink free of metals and not oil-based
snce folders recyclable and with recycled
S
)le holders
ion box prepared (labeled and with slotted
0)
0 —
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Recycling Program
D Multiple bins available
Source: D Facility D Recycler D Yourself
Number: Paper
Aluminum
Plastic
Other
CH Well-traveled areas
Locations:
CD Collection schedule set
Schedule:
LJ Backup for collection in case of overflow
EH Separate trash containers included with each group of bins
D Signs to go over and on the recycling bins and trash containers
Breaks and Meals
D Reusable cups, glasses, dishes and utensils
CH Cloth napkins, table cloths
[j Use of single-serving condiments eliminated or minimized (sugar,
cream, butter)
n Pitchers for juice
n Stirrers reusable (usually metal spoons)
D Beverage containers recyclable (aluminum, plastic)
D Food scraps composted, if possible
L~H Unserved food donated to shelters
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"Green" Conference
Don't Let Your Next Conference Go to Was
Conference:
Location:
Facility:
Telephone:
Hotel/Conference Center
n Responsive to "green" conference approach
D Recycle program in place
CH meeting rooms/conference area and lodging rooms
[H cans CH glass
Q paper EH newspapers
CD plastic bottles D cardboard
CD trash
CD Recycle pick-up frequency satisfactory
D Voluntary reuse of linens, etc., available and
publicized
Date(s):
Contact:
FAX:
Printed Me
D Recych
contenl
CD "Envelc
CI Mailing
availab
LJ Paperi
chlorim
Cl Paper <
paper)
CH Two-si(
CH Printinc
[H Confen
contenl
Name Tag
[H Reusat
D Collect
top)
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Exhibitors
D Encouraged to follow applicable items on this checklist
D Recycling bins and trash cans arranged
n No materials to be left behind
Motivation
n Opening remarks/announcements planned
EH Facts on benefits to environment (including local)
CH Cost savings
n Good business
D Description of arrangements for recycle/reuse
CH Reminders planned
CH Announcements
CH Included in printed program
CH Signs prepared
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