Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly 2018
We are pleased to share the sustainability results of another successful General Assembly. In addition to truly top tier results, such as the diversion of 92% of our total event waste from the landfill, one of the key areas that made our efforts even more impactful this year was the many “sustainability firsts” GA’18 helped bring to the Kansas City region. This work, which begins largely during the site selection and contracting phases, long before attendees arrive, culminates during our five days together each summer onsite.
Oracle OpenWorld Latin America Division 2018
Oracle OpenWorld Latin America 2018 produced less total waste than in any previous year. Although the percentage of waste diverted from landfill (diversion rate) was the lowest in 2018, the event produced less total waste than in any previous year. Total waste produced in 2018 decreased by 64% from 2016, and 83% from 2010. Read Case Study
Fair Trade Campaigns National Conference
At their first National Conference in more than 5 years, Fair Trade Campaigns focused their sustainability efforts by including Fair Trade products, reducing disposable service ware, and linking activities to four UN Sustainable Development Goals: Zero Hunger, Climate Action, Responsible Consumption & Production and Good Health & Well Being.
Oracle OpenWorld 2017
See how Oracle OpenWorld achieves their event sustainability goals to: Waste Less, Be Cooler, Give Back and Have Fun. Read Case Study
Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly 2017
Every year GA enables opportunities for UUs to be of service to communities that host the event. This year several meaningful opportunities were organized in New Orleans.
GA attendees were invited to participate in hands-on service projects at or within a short distance of the convention center that benefitted over 1,000 persons. These included:
- The Big Easy / Real Life: An Immersion Experience
- The Red Flame Hunters and the Flaming Chalice Keepers Create!
- Ubuntu Village and UUs, Embracing Youth Away in Juvenile Detention
- “Days for Girls” Sustainable Menstrual Hygiene Kits Fight Poverty and Isolation
- Families and Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children
ROSCon 2017
Choosing the Vancouver Convention Center impacted the sustainable efforts of this event in a very positive way. This facility is equipped with front and back of house recycling, the conference signage was recycled by the convention center, and all MeetGreen minimum guidelines were met by the facility. Read Case Study
PNCWA 2017
With one simple change, providing water bubblers instead of water bottles for attendees, the recent PNCWA conference saved 1,822 plastic bottles from landfill and enough energy to run a 75 watt light bulb for 26,419 hours! Read Case Study
IMEX America 2017
Sustainability is a core component of IMEX America and is addressed and refined throughout the year across the entire range of vendors and stakeholders, including onsite as well as pre/post event.
There are several wins to note regarding the IMEX America 2017 waste stream. Overall volume of waste decreased significantly from 2016 due to efforts to capture, donate or reuse large booth materials and furniture, as well as sustainable signage and carpet. The enhanced back dock hand sorting of waste also dramatically improved the amount of material that can be recycled or composted. Read Case Study
BSR 2017 Conference
At BSR’s annual meeting one of the initiatives was to eliminate single use plastic. By serving beverages in bulk they eliminated 4,097 single use containers. Carbon offsets were purchased for 100% of conference travel and energy use. Read Case Study
World Cocoa Foundation Partnership Meeting 2017
As an organization with a mission driven interest in global sustainable initiatives, the World Cocoa Foundation did a great job reducing its event’s environmental footprint by the implementation of progressive approaches like food and beverage strategies to eliminate waste and get leftover food to people who need it, the 100% elimination of its printed program and the use of FalconBoard signs. Read Case Study
Oracle OpenWorld India 2017
Oracle faced a number of systemic challenges in working to make the first Oracle OpenWorld India a sustainable event. As a result, Oracle focused evaluating opportunities to reduce, reuse and donate materials to minimize waste. Read Case Study
IMEX America 2016
The 2016 IMEX America, our own internal planning team took a proactive approach to recycling the materials that we use for signage and, together with our vendors, ensured that they were put to valuable use in several different places (see Materials). We also reduced our paper use from onsite publications by more than 1,500 lbs of paper, which is the equivalent to about 13 fewer trees. In addition, our education team curated many rich and grounding experiences for our guests onsite, including the Be Well Lounge and Paws for a Break. Read Case Study
Oracle OpenWorld Latin America Division 2016
Attendees in Sao Paulo, Brazil generated 60% less waste per person than in 2010. A contributing factor to this reduction was all signage was either recyclable, repurposed as a different item, or reused. Read Case Study
Unitarian Universalist Association General Assembly 2016
The Unitarian Universalist Association identified five main sustainability objectives for General Assembly 2016. Each objective is accompanied by individual targets and action items designed to address and evaluate each objective. These targets are customized given the current level of sustainability in each host city prior to the event. Read Case Study
Oracle OpenWorld 2016
If you want to see how light the impact of 60,000 attendees from 141 countries meeting in San Francisco, California can have, this is required reading. Read Case Study
Business for Social Responsibility Conference 2016
Never afraid to be bold, BSR’s sustainable food choices included 100% vegetarian lunches, 100% of the fruit was local and seasonal, 100% of the coffee fairly traded, and 100% of the meals were served on china (no disposables). Read Case Study
ROSCon 2016
At ROSCon 2016 in Seoul, South Korea there was a 100% elimination of plastic water bottles used during this event. Read Case Study
Unitarian Universalist Association 2015
UUA General Assembly participants reduced waste per participant to 0.26 kg per day. Read Case Study
IMEX America 2015
In 2015, IMEX America chose to focus on water shortage in the Las Vegas area. In an effort to reduce water usage, the concession menu available on Wednesday was optimized to provide foods that minimize water use. Beef burgers were replaced with turkey burgers, for example, which saved 331 gallons per 1⁄4 patty! Water savings information was presented on digital signage to inform attendees of the water footprint of their food and they were encouraged to share their experience using the #WaterWiseWednesday hashtag. Read Case Study
Oracle OpenWorld 2015
Successful event sustainability programs use management systems to achieve objectives and improve performance. Oracle OpenWorld follows a process based on ISO 20121: 2012 Event Sustainability Management Systems to annually improve the event. Read Case Study