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"Going Green" – We am happy to say that these words have finally made headline news on a global level! What a gift, and new opportunity to learn and grow. The Whole Children, Whole Planet team is working hard to be good stewards for the planet and our children. The two largest areas of concern that need to be addressed in producing an event of this size are the amount of energy that is used, and the waste that is generated. As participants, things that you can do to make a difference are to take advantage of several of the greening aspects we will be offering to support more sustainable event practices. Our goal is to educate ourselves, implement what we have learned and share this information with you (and our attendees). Together, we can all raise the bar on the art of earth friendly practices within the industry. Zero Waste This year we will be implementing a Zero Waste Station program that encourages reuse, recycling, and composting. Zero waste stations were created to divert garbage from ending up in a landfill – our goal is to compost and recycle the majority of our waste. There will be zero waste stations located throughout the 11-acre campus to efficiently teach people how to manage their trash. Each station will have three barrels – recycling, compost and landfill. Trained volunteers (Highland Hall High School Students, and the Green Ambassadors, students from the Environmental Charter High School) will be on hand at each station to assist attendees – a lesson they can easily take home and practice. In addition to the numerous zero waste stations, the program will feature a three-sided triangular 12' x 12' x 12' interactive zero waste art project, which will be designed and constructed in collaboration with WCWP, Green Lotus Events, Enrichment Educational Experiences, Mr. Ellie Pooh paper company, Bio Bag, Natural Forest Distribution, and the Northridge East Neighborhood Council. Hopefully, the project will inspire people to make new choices while shopping, and teach them how to dispose of their waste properly by giving them a visual and interactive experience. We ask that all food, beverage and sampling exhibitors/sellers use only biodegradable materials such as corn, potato, or wheat resin cups, plates and utensils when sampling or serving their products. These biodegradable service ware items – trays, forks, knives, spoons, napkins, plates, cups, bowls, etc. – are widely available and offer us an earth-friendly option as compared to plastics and other harmful waste. These products can be thrown away in the zero waste compost barrels, which will break down in the soil and eventually turn back into food. Sponsorship Opportunity: Additional sponsorship opportunities will be available to help fund the large interactive zero waste art project. It is a great marketing opportunity for any company that is committed to making a difference towards public education and preserving the planet. If your company is interested in being a sponsor, or for more information, please contact WCWP producer. Conserving Energy Whole Children, Whole Planet depends on energy to power our event. Our staff, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, speakers and attendees also depend on energy to travel to and from the expo. Unfortunately, burning fossil fuels produces over 70% of the energy in the US. Carbon Offsets Global warming is caused by a build up of greenhouse gases primarily from the burning of fossil fuels that provide the energy and services we use every day – electricity, transportation, cooking, etc. Currently, we are creating more carbon emissions at a faster rate than mother earth can replenish. Since the release of "An Inconvenient Truth," many companies have joined the green bandwagon by offering responsible ways of offsetting our carbon footprint (energy using activities) by putting our dollars into renewable options. The way it works is, we purchase credits or shares from these companies, and in turn, they invest in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and reforestation projects – all of which support replenishing the resources we are using. Our job, to reduce our own consumption and dependency on fossil fuels, and implement sustainable lifestyle practices to the best of our ability. The best way of doing this is through education and taking personal action in our daily lives. If you want to learn more about offsetting your carbon footprint, here are three companies to consider:
New Leaf Paper leads the paper industry in the development and distribution of environmentally superior printing and office papers. We use only 100% recycled copy paper in our office, and New Leaf's 100% recycled fiber and 50% post-consumer waste paper (processed chlorine free) for our promotional materials e.g. postcards, posters, show guide, etc. By using New Leaf Paper last year in producing 250,000 promotional postcards, we saved the following resources – 12 fully grown trees, 2,635 gallons of water, 5 million BTUs of energy, 577 pounds of solid waste and 974 pounds of greenhouse gases. Sustainable Freight and Storage Our preferred freight carrier for Expo 2008 is Yellow Freight. Their sustainable practices have won them the 2006 EPA Environmental Excellence Award. They use biodiesel and alternative fuels, govern speed for increased efficiency and recycle tires, paper and other materials to minimize their waste. Hotels While there are no green hotels in the Northridge area we have selected the Airtel Plaza Hotel as our hotel of choice, less than 4 miles from the venue. For those flying into LAX, you can ride a FlyAway bus (in comfort) to the Van Nuys bus terminal located two blocks from the hotel, where shuttle service to and from the hotel is available. Also, for your convenience, Airtel will provide a morning and evening shuttle to the venue. Airtel has two restaurants on the property, and live jazz on Saturday night (reservations a must). The sustainable quality … no rental car needed and ride share to and from the event. When you book your reservation be sure to let them know you are with Whole Children, Whole Planet Expo 2008 to get a discounted room rate. Solar Web Hosting Another step we took this year is our website is now powered by solar energy. Currently, there are several companies offering renewable energy web hosting – both solar and wind power. We choose to go with a solar company, Affordable Internet Services Online. Aiso.net is a reliable and responsible green web hosting company with a strong commitment to help fight pollution and preserve natural resources. Their entire data center and office are run off of solar panels. AMD Opteron powered servers use 60% less energy, and generate 50% less heat. It does cost a little more, but well worth it in the big picture. Making the switch was easy! Brown Paper Tickets We are using Brown Paper Tickets for our ticketing needs. They are the first and only fair trade ticketing service. Tickets are currently available on line or by phone (800-838-3006). Brown Paper Tickets promise to the consumer:
One last thing … when searching the web try www.blackle.com the sustainable search engine. Blackle was created by Heap Media to remind us all of the need to take small steps in our everyday lives to save energy. (Blackle searches are powered by Google Custom Search.) Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. "Image displayed is primarily a function of the user's color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen." Roberson et al, 2002 These are just some of the ways we are striving to be a responsible and sustainable event. |
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