Region 1: EPA New England
Green Conventions
Recycle on the Go Success Story
Recycling Organics at Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, February 2010 (PDF) (6 pp, 619K, about PDF)
Organics recovery programs are helping the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center save money, feed the hungry, and lower its environmental footprint.
Being Green Yields Results
Green conventions are not only good for the environment, they're great for business. Planning and conducting a green convention will give you a competitive edge, a great reputation, and can save you time and money in the process.
Conventions and other large events have the potential to generate significant environmental impacts given the large numbers of participants. For example, more than 85,000 individuals participated in the 2004 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, held in Boston and New York City, respectively. EPA's New England Office was one of many technical advisors to support the efforts of the Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Conventions (CERC) to make these events a showcase for environmental best practices.
By highlighting the successes achieved at these conventions and other events, this site is intended to assist meeting and event planners to better understand what can and has been done to make such large events more environmentally beneficial while at the same time reducing costs and wastes, and enhancing the overall public image of the event and its hosts. Where appropriate, it provides links to EPA web sites and sites of other organizations that are likewise working to educate the planners on how to make any size event "greener."
Factors to consider when planning a large event include: