A Green Conference
For the February 2008 conference in Washington, DC, the Local Government Commission and conference partners stepped up our commitment to ensure that the conference is a “greener” and more sustainable event. We met our goals of producing fewer printed materials before, during and after the event. For the January 2009 conference, we intend to do even more to reduce waste, incorporate “re-use” into our planning and production practices, rely more on electronic distribution of information and materials relating to the event.
The LGC will be working closely with the Albuquerque Convention Center and both the Hyatt Regency and DoubleTree Hotels to conserve resources used during our event, to ensure on-site recycling is available, and that only reusable utensils, napkins and tablecloths are used during the event. We will also work with these facilities to ensure that wherever possible condiments and food are served in bulk, and that locally grown food is incorporated into the conference menu.
We are also looking into ways to move this conference in the direction of becoming a “carbon-neutral” event. We are exploring ways in which we can offset the enormous amount of energy consumed at a major event like this one, as well as provide participants the opportunity to purchase carbon offsets to offset their travel to attend the conference.
More details on these efforts and others will be posted in the coming months.