I go to a lot of green events. Green business conferences, eco-fashion shows, festivals, eco-film openings, green celebrity salons… I’ve seen it all. And usually there are one or two glaring eco-friendly oversights (i.e. WTFs?).
Like the time at the “11th Hour” movie screening when they handed out plastic water bottles vacuum sealed in even more plastic. Or the last eco-fashion show which served medicinal-tasting-high-fructose-corn-syrup cocktails in single use disposable plastic martini glasses. Or the piles of free but dreadedly-over-supplied-but-very-eco organic cotton natural colored lame logoed t-shirts often given out at festivals.
Which is why I was pleasantly shocked by the amount of care and detail the Opportunity Green business conference took with their environmental footprint.
Just some of the details the organizers included:
The Good: Recycled paper napkins, food vendors were local and organic focused, plant based inks and recycled paper for printing, Opportunity Green donated 1% of their sales to the planet, and there were volunteer monitored and clearly marked recycling/compost stations.
The Better: Non PVC signage, custom rideshare program via PickupPal, checking the power meters in the building and offsetting the energy used, compostable plates made from pressed palm leaves.
The Best: Reusable water bottle as attendee gifts and filtered water readily available throughout the conference, bio-diesel fueled shuttles from the hotel to the event, compostable coffee cups (most coffee cups have a thin plastic lining making them neither recyclable nor compostable).
For next time: While the conference website links to info about public transportation, the venue was not clearly accessible to public transit riders. My buddy GreenLAgirl spent a frustrating 25 minutes finding her way from the bus stop to the venue, she says, “I hope that next year’s Opportunity Green will prioritize transportation issues. We should make it as easy, if not easier, for walkers, bicyclers, and public transit takers to get to the conference as it for drivers.” Agreed. Getting people to take pub trans is hard enough (I drove), and detailed instructions might help put the “us” in “bus.”
All in all, major props should be given to the organizers for their mindfulness in putting together a very green large scale event.
Strutting the red carpet at the Environmental Media Awards last night was this young actor, Sage Ryan. Cute Alert! We chatted a little about environmentalism, and the kid threw out a few good pointers. He mentioned a few green standards, suggesting that people turn off the lights when leaving a room and either walk or ride their bike instead of getting in the car. My favorite of his green tips was simple, reduce your air conditioning and heater use. Says Sage, “Dress warm when it’s cold, and cold when it’s warm.”
A 14 inch Sur La Table Tri Ply 
Zyliss “Smart Touch” 
