Meeting News - August 11, 2008 - (Page 29)

Green Beat By Terri Hardin terri.hardin@nielsen.com This Brew’s for the Democrats Waste beer turned into ethanol powers complimentary GM vehicles at DNC This month, attendees at Denver’s Democratic National Convention will get a taste of what it’s like to be 100-percent carbon-free, as some vehicles provided for delegates, staff, media, and other special convention guests will run on beer. It seems that every year, Golden, CO-based Coors Brewing Co. produces approximately 3 million gallons of beer that never meet the lips of beer-lovers. Instead, the waste beer is converted into ethanol that, according to Coors, has eliminated up to 70 tons of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from its emissions annually since 1996. This year, Coors will donate its biofuel to make the DNC a greener place, thereby earning itself the title Official E85 Ethanol Producer for the 2008 DNC. The fuel will power some 90 biofuelcapable and hybrid vehicles that are part of a 450vehicle fleet furnished by the DNC’s official vehicle provider, General Motors. “We are grateful for Molson Coors’ [Coors’ parent firm] donation of cleaner-burning fuel to ensure we host the greenest national political convention to date,” said Denver mayor John Hickenlooper (himself a microbrewer). “From fueling a national conversation about sustainability to fueling convention vehicles, we’re working toward a green convention on every front,” he said. According to Molson Coors CEO Leo Kiely: “Bill Coors used to say that waste was a resource out of place—that thinking still drives us today to recycle, reuse, and reduce our consumption of A terrible thing to waste, beer becomes biofuel. energy and materials when and where we can. We are pleased that our waste beer can fuel the convention fleet and help support an environmentally conscious convention.” New Books Shed Green Light on Eco-Practices Manuals offer guidance on AV, marketing, and just about everything else Meeting Strategies Worldwide*, a green meetings specialist, and Hollywood Lighting Services, a major Northwest’s stage lighting company, have launched a primer on environmental strategies for lighting, stage, and sound suppliers. The “AV Primer” offers definitions, guidelines, and best practices for event organizers and audiovisual providers to reduce their environmental impact. It also provides needed information to make educated requests and discusses the economic advantages of low-energy lighting for meetings and events. Planners can access the “AV Primer” for free either by sending an e-mail to Hollywood Lighting at production@hollywoodlighting.biz or by clicking on the Meeting Strategies Worldwide website at https://www.meetgreen.com/toolbox.php. Also, from the publishers of PR News, and its sister brands min and CableFAX comes the “Going Green: Case Studies in Outstanding Green Business Practices.” The 200-plus-page guidebook features one-of-a-kind case studies, viewpoints, and communications tactics for being green in all areas of business, culled from blue chip companies, small organizations, and start-ups that have reinvented or reconfigured www.meetingnews.com their businesses to be more environmentally responsible. (Companies profiled in the guidebook include GE, Nickelodeon, HP, Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Broward County Library, BASF, Travelocity, Harrah’s, Dow Chemical, National Geographic, Chiquita, U.S. Army, Monroe College, Comcast, and nearly 100 more.) “Most companies are in the early stages of going green and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution,” said Diane Schwartz, VP and group pub- lisher of PR News and editor of the guidebook. “By providing perspectives and ideas from hundreds of executives across the globe, this guidebook should give our readers a clear idea of what’s working, and just as importantly, what’s not, when it comes to going green.” The guidebook is tailored to communications, marketing, and senior executives looking for a blueprint to communicate existing green efforts or to get new initiatives off the ground. *Meeting Strategies Worldwide partners Nancy Wilson and Amy Spatrisano were listed among MeetingNews’ 25 Most Powerful in 2008. Seattle’s Convention Center Offers U.S.’ First 100% Compostable Water Bottles Ends bottleneck in search for sustainable thirst-quenching Washington State Convention & Trade Center (WSCTC) in downtown Seattle announced the nation’s first completely compostable water bottles available for convention center clients. The center’s 3.65-liter water bottles are made from corn-based plastic resin, and the entire bottle, cap, label, and contents are 100-percent recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. (By contrast, traditional petroleum-based plastic water bottles take up to 5,000 years to decompose.) “The new recyclable bottles will be very popular with convention and exhibition groups,” said Michael T. McQuade, WSCTC’s director of sales and marketing. “Our clients continually ask for more and better green meeting options.” Traditional water coolers and other options will continue to be available, offering expanded green services and flexibility to convention-goers. r August 11, 2008 MeetingNews 29 https://www.meetgreen.com/toolbox.php http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - August 11, 2008

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