Successful Meetings - November 2008 - (Page 49) Conference Centers lated how many paper cups she would need. Horror turned to discreative idea.” belief when she realized it would be at least 75,000. The Jean Vollum Natural Capital Center was an appropriate “I’m just one meeting planner who saved 75,000 Styrofoam venue for this group, as it has been awarded gold-level Leadercups from ending up in a landfill during this one conference I was ship in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by planning,” she says. “I realized what an impact we could have if the U.S. Green Building Council. This 1895 warehouse is the first we all started making an effort, because as planners, we are not restoration of a historic building to reap the gold rating nationwide. ordering for just one, we are ordering for hundreds, even thou“It was great to see the things we bought incorporated into the sands.” meal before our eyes created by Chef Steven Ward from the DouSince then, Meeting Strategies Worldwide's focus has been bletree Portland,” says Michael Smith, vice president of convenon producing sustainable meetings, conferences, and events. If a tion sales for Travel Portland. “This is a group that is very attuned planner doesn't want to to sustainability. They are green an F&B function for focused on fresh produce environmental reasons, without additives that is then there are economical grown locally, so this was ones. “Plastic water bottles perfect. Plus, there is very should be the first thing to little transportation that is go, because they make necessary to ship these such a huge economic ingredients, so very little impact,” explains Wilson. fossil fuel is being She planned a weekburned.” This was the first long conference in Washtime Travel Portland ever ington DC last August for arranged an event like Agile Alliance that was this, and Smith is quick to GMIC’s outdoor dinner overlooked Portland’s attended by 1,200. “We say, “I can guarantee you fast-growing Pearl District. eliminated the use of plaswe will be doing it again.” tic water bottles during this Today's attendees are “It was great to see the things we bought conference, and the comdemanding fresh, healthy incorporated into the meal before our eyes pany saved $48,000. Plus, food. Organic food, which created by Chef Steven Ward from the Douwe saved all those plastic is food grown without pesbottles from getting into ticides or artificial fertilizbletree Portland.” the waste stream,” says ers; hormone- and antibi—Michael Smith, Travel Portland Wilson. otic-free dairy; and food The Container Recygrown regionally are cling Institute (CRI) estimates that more than 80 percent of the 28 being requested. Call it green, organic, or sustainable, no matter billion plastic water containers sold each year in the United States what label it wears, this is a burgeoning trend in today's food and end up in landfills or incinerators. Hundreds of millions of plastic beverage functions. The emphasis is on farm to table. bottles litter roads, beaches, streams, and other waterways, G O G R E E N A N D S AV E G R E E N according to CRI, and taxpayers spend hundreds of millions of Meeting Strategies Worldwide's Wilson is a Portland girl at heart. dollars each year for their disposal and for the cleanup of the As far as she was concerned, Styrofoam was a thing of the past. landscape. Her hometown banned containers made from this non“We have gotten used to the idea that water comes in bottles, biodegradable material in 1990. although this hasn't been a very long phenomenon,” Wilson says. Planning a conference in another part of the country, she was “We just have to change the learning curve.” Plus, Wilson estihorrified to learn that the convention center had nothing but Stymates that serving water from large pitchers or containers can rofoam cups in which to serve beverages. save from $5 to $10 per guest per day, depending on the venue. “If I wanted to use something else, I would have to ship them She also recommends not pre-filling water glasses; it should be in myself, I was told.” So she went back to her office and calcupoured when requested, on an individual basis. SUCCESSFUL MEETINGS NOVEMBER 2008 successfulmeetings.com 49 http://www.successfulmeetings.com
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