sustainability goals<\/a> for SB\u201917 Detroit is Waste Reduction & Diversion. Waste is a major contributor to the impact of any event. Sustainable Brands focuses on first reducing the waste produced overall, and then works to divert as much of the waste produced from the landfill through recycling, composting, and donation and repurposing. Part of this effort will involve working with TerraCycle, a recycling company that has become a global leader in recycling hard-to-recycle waste. Through these efforts, Sustainable Brands hopes to divert at least 80% of the waste produced by the event.<\/p>\n\u201cAny time we can help lower footprint that\u2019s a great thing,\u201d said Lauren Taylor, Global Director of Public Relations at TerraCycle. \u201cConferences are traditionally very heavy on waste, the more things are easily recyclable the better. For us, it\u2019s an opportunity to showcase how a conference can make a difference by having zero-waste boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
TerraCycle\u2019s Zero Waste Box platform makes it possible to recycle almost any type of waste, from coffee capsules to complex laboratory waste. Customers who work with them can choose the waste stream they\u2019d like to recycle, purchase a preferred box size, collect their waste, and send it to TerraCycle to be repurposed. For Sustainable Brands conferences, the waste stream will be focused on traditional waste from large events, such as plastic packaging, candy boxes, corks from wine bottles, etc.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are a sustainability partner with Sustainability Brands for five events this year,\u201d said Lauren. \u201cAnd through putting those zero-waste boxes at events, SB can reach previously unreachable rates of waste diversion. This is trash that would\u2019ve gone to landfill and can now be recycled by having these boxes onsite for these events. We\u2019re excited about what TerraCycle is doing, and we\u2019re excited about what SB is doing. It\u2019s a good fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
To help with the sustainability goal of being Energy Neutral, Sustainable Brands has partnered with the South Pole Group, a top-notch provider of a complete suite of sustainability solutions for climate change and renewable energy. The energy\u00a0used during\u00a0the event\u00a0will be 100% offset by Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) provided by the South Pole Group.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow we see ourselves is enabling Sustainable Brands to go one step further in their mission to organize sustainable events,\u201d said Nadia Kahkonen, Communications Manager for South Pole group. \u201cSB is not only making sure electricity for events comes from sustainable sources, but they\u2019re going beyond that. A lot of renewable energy projects we have worked on directly go toward the Sustainable Development Goals, and as a partner, Sustainable Brands is also contributing to that effort.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) refers to the United Nations-led initiative in which countries adopted a set of goals in 2015 to\u00a0\u201cend poverty,\u00a0protect the planet, and\u00a0ensure prosperity for all\u201d\u00a0as part of a new sustainable development agenda. Each goal has specific targets to be achieved over the next 15 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re both fighting the good fight,\u201d Nadia said in relation to partnering with Sustainable Brands. \u201cWe\u2019re very purpose-driven, for profit but for purpose. SB is one of the leading networks or platforms in bringing together these thought leaders, so they are a natural ally in that sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadia says the South Pole Group is working on powering numerous SB events with renewable energy in 2017 as part of its event series. Beyond ensuring that the events are powered by renewable energy, Sustainable Brands’ RECs will also support specific SDGs with renewable energy projects that have an additional eco-label attached to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSDGs provide a good framework to start this conversation of sustainability at events and the future of them because they outline the focus areas: access to water, climate change, etc.\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In reference to the Sustainable Brand conference theme of \u201cRedefining the Good Life\u201d, Nadia says the SDGs are the starting point. \u201cWe see in the broader sense, we see the SDGs are a good framework to view topic of redefining the good life. Through this partnership we\u2019re enabling a better life through activities of the projects.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a pretty good life,\u201d said Lauren with TerraCycle. \u201cIn redefining it you can do even better. In terms of TerraCycle, think about what you\u2019re purchasing. To tell people to stop buying things is unrealistic. We all buy things, whether needed or not. But make a decision: Can you purchase a product that has recyclable content? You can make a choice about a product to show what\u2019s important to you \u2013 the packaging, the content, can you re-use it? Can you give it away afterward? How is the product made? Instead of throwing it away afterward what are your options? These can all be a part of redefining the good life.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to the sustainability goals that TerraCycle and the South Pole Group will be focused on, Sustainable Brands has partnered with numerous companies to help with the other goals, which include: Carbon Neutral, Water Neutral, ISO 20121 Compliance, and Local Food Sourcing.<\/p>\n
Helping to bring all the moving parts together is Lindsay Arell, president of Honeycomb Strategies, who was brought on to manage the event\u2019s sustainability programs as a whole. Arell is seen as a leader in the sustainable event management space, heading a company based in Denver that focuses on helping events and conferences prepare and execute greener practices. In addition to her roll as sustainable program manager for Colorado Convention Center and City of Denver Arts and Venues facilities, her diverse roster of clients include the Philadelphia Eagles, Natural Products East and West Expos, VISIT DENVER, Vancouver Convention Centre, Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre, and Incheon Convention & Visitors Bureau in South Korea, and of course, Sustainable Brands.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s definitely an increase in sustainability in events in general,\u201d she said. \u201cMore events are looking at this impact, and beyond that, attendees are expecting their events to have some of these sustainability components in it. If they\u2019re an exhibitor, they want to know what the event offers in terms of sustainability. So there\u2019s an increase in demand and an increase in sophistication in what groups are doing and looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n
A demand for metrics is also increasing, according to Lindsay. \u201cPeople are going beyond asking for a recycling bin. They also see they have plastic wrap that can\u2019t be recycled. What happens to that? They\u2019re trying to get more metrics on what is our carbon impact, how much water is being used, energy, etc. So we\u2019re looking for ways to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year, Lindsay and her team are working with 203 grad students from the University of Michigan to do lifecycle analysis work, tracking the impact of events. In the past, Lindsay says they measured things like waste diversion, carbon, water from venue and hotel, percentage of food that\u2019s sustainable. \u201cNow we\u2019re going a step further,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re also looking at how the event is engaging with the local community in Detroit. We\u2019re expanding the things we\u2019re tracking. It\u2019s just a much more sophisticated space.\u201d<\/p>\n
So sophisticated, in fact, that Cobo Center, the venue for SB\u201917 Detroit, will play an active role in the overall efforts of reducing the event\u2019s footprint. \u201cWe\u2019re working closely to establish event procedures that will be employed during SB\u201917 to achieve a minimum 80% overall diversion of waste during the event,\u201d said Claude Molinari, General Manager at Cobo Center.<\/p>\n
According to Claude, measures include using a large volunteer force, recruited locally, to help customers use composting and recycling receptacles correctly and sort waste prior to pick up to ensure material integrity. The Center will also work with Lindsay and her team to measure impacts. For example, energy consumption tracked will include electric, natural gas, steam, water. In addition, waste diversion tracked will include recycling, composting, donated materials, and landfill.<\/p>\n
Cobo Center\u2019s commitment to environmental stewardship in the Detroit community has garnered several awards, including the 2014 EcoWorks Sustainable Communities Champion Award, 2015 Keep Michigan Beautiful President\u2019s Plaque, and the 2015 Detroit Free Press Green Leader Award. As part of its many innovative green initiatives throughout the facility, waste that is not recycled or re-used is converted to steam by Detroit Renewable Power making Cobo Center 100% landfill-free. The entire facility is air-conditioned by pumping grey water from the Detroit River through chillers that then send the cool water to various air handlers, providing cooling to zoned areas in the Center. This system uses considerably less electricity than conventional air conditioning units. And My Green Michigan provides complete composting services to Cobo Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all working together to help meet SB\u2019s goals for this event,\u201d said Lindsay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There was a time when rating an event on its sustainability efforts was based on the number of trash bins that were put out. One receptacle for all trash: bad. Two for regular and recyclables: good. Three to include all of the above and composting: excellent. Nowadays, that\u2019s just the beginning. For its upcoming SB\u201917 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":2580,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2579"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2605,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2579\/revisions\/2605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2580"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2579"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2579"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/events.sustainablebrands.com\/conferences\/sb17det\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2579"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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