A Green Event
Having the opportunity to meet face to face, connect and share our knowledge is an invaluable experience, as we collaborate on building safe, healthy and livable communities. At the same time, these events have associated impacts from travel and transportation, to the food, facilities and lodging necessary to support our meeting and exchange. For our 8th annual New Partner's for Smart Growth conference, held in January 2009, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, conference planners took many steps to reduce the impacts of the event.
Our goal was to be mindful to ensure that the values we promote as an organization and community builder were incorporated into our plans for this important event. Great care was taken to incorporate sustainability considerations into the various aspects and activities for the conference.
These actions included:
- Hosting an event with sustainability and climate considerations as key components in topics for healthy communities
- Focusing on opportunities for resource conservation
- Reducing the amount of materials produced for the conference
- Encouraging the use of public transportation
- Working with the Albuquerque Convention Center to make sure the conference menu included a largely local and organic menu
- Facilitating voluntary carbon offsets for our impacts with the help of meeting participants and sponsors
Addressing the Carbon Footprint of the Conference
The carbon footprint for conferences is largely related to travel to and from the conference, as well as lodging for participants, meeting facilities, planning, and event activities. The total estimated carbon footprint for the event was 735 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The following is a breakdown of contributions to the carbon footprint for this event:
- 87.5% related to air travel for participants to and from the event
- 7% related to event space and lodging for conference participants and staff
- 5% related to ground travel and tours
- .5%related to planning and follow-up
To address the carbon footprint related to the event, participants were offered the opportunity to offset the carbon impacts related to travel and participation in the conference by adding a nominal $11 to the conference registration fee. Renewable energy credits (Green Tags) were purchased from Green Energy New Mexico. By participating in this opportunity, meeting attendees support innovative projects that fund the pursuit of renewable energy projects in New Mexico and reduce carbon emissions to the environment by supporting renewable energy. At this 8th annual NPSG event, 177 participants - Conference Climate Champions - voluntarily offset more than 15% of the event's carbon impacts, effectively powering the facilities used for the event and all 1915 hotel nights used by meeting participants with renewable energy as well as offsetting most of the impacts associated with ground travel.
Putting it in Perspective
It can be difficult to conceptualize what "carbon footprint" calculations mean when viewing the information in the context of a series of activities or an event. We all know that smaller is better in the case of carbon footprint. Here are a few references to help us all put it in perspective:
A two-passenger carpool, traveling 2333 miles to Albuquerque from Portland, Maine in a mid-sized gas powered automobile (23 mpg) is equivalent to approximately 1 metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions.
The estimated CO2 equivalent impacts related to this event are equivalent† to:
- 163 Average global citizens - annual CO2e emissions
- 163 Average US cars - annual emissions
- 119 Average US households - indirect CO2e emissions related to electricity consumption
- 35 Average US residents - annual CO2e emissions
Our Conference Climate Champions
These individuals and organizations made contributions to reduce the carbon footprint of our event and support renewable energy projects in New Mexico.
View the full list of names and organizations of our Climate Champions - that participated in the voluntary offsets.
Green Energy New Mexico 
In order to also benefit the local community and state where the 8th annual New Partners for Smart Growth conference is being held, we selected an organization that promotes and supports renewable energy projects in New Mexico: Green Energy New Mexico. The Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF), the Regional Development Corporation (RDC) and the Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy (CCAE) have partnered to create Green Energy New Mexico, a program designed to enable individuals and businesses to support the development of renewable energy through the sale of renewable energy certificates (RECs), also called "Green Tags". BEF will set aside twenty percent of the gross revenues generated from New Mexico Green Tags sales in a reinvestment fund. These funds will be committed to supporting the development of new renewable energy projects in New Mexico. Each BEF Green Tag is Green-e® climate certified, the nation's leading independent certification and verification program for renewable energy and greenhouse gas emission reductions in the retail market. Additional information can be found at http://www.greenenergynm.org/
HDR, Inc. 
As LGC's Sustainability Advisor for this event, HDR, Inc. provided resources to calculate the event's estimated carbon footprint and support related to incorporating sustainable considerations into meeting planning and delivery. HDR is an employee-owned architectural, engineering and consulting firm with more than 7,500 professionals in 165 locations worldwide. HDR offers clients the best possible economic, social and environmental value by delivering integrated sustainable solutions. The Sustainable Solutions Program supports HDR's collective effort to deliver high-quality sustainable solutions by catalyzing the skills, knowledge, and ability of professional staff. HDR's Sustainable Solutions Program includes an internal Corporate Sustainability Initiative, a Climate Change Initiative, and services in the following areas of expertise: buildings, mobility, water, energy, waste, community, site development, and economic and environmental modeling. Learn more at http://www.hdrgreen.com
Thank you for your continued support in promoting smart growth, building sustainable communities, and reducing the environmental impacts related to our gatherings where we share our expertise on these important topics!
Footnotes:
† These calculations are based on factors Global Warming Mitigation Factoids from A Consumers' Guide to Retail Carbon Offset Providers, Clean Air-Cool Planet. The term "global citizen" represents the estimated average CO2 emissions of each and every person around the world.