Greening the Heartland event carbon emission calculations provided by Leonardo Academy

Greening the Heartland 2010 has taken many steps to put on a sustainable event consistent with the overall message of the conference. The Greening the Event committee is utilizing the Meet Green Calculator to establish goals and outcome measures in several categories, including: venue selection, transportation, food and beverage selection, exposition services, and marketing and communications. Our venue, the Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC), recycles 98 percent of all cardboard used in the facility, utilizes 95 percent Green Seal certified cleaning products, provides energy-efficient lighting, and much more. Kelber Catering is committed to providing locally sourced organic food whenever possible and donates surplus food to local shelters.

The conference is located in downtown Minneapolis, allowing participants to choose to arrive without cars by taking a local bus, biking, or riding the Hiawatha Light Rail. We are further reducing waste by minimizing the amount of printed materials and mailings, using recycled paper and soy-based inks, creating online kits for exhibitors, and eliminating carpet in the exhibit hall. Additionally, by partnering with Wisconsin-based Leonardo Academy Inc., we are offsetting the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with your participation in the conference in order to help address global climate change.

We encourage you to contribute to the green efforts of the conference by walking, biking, or taking public transportation wherever possible and reducing, reusing, and recycling throughout the event. Conference leaders will be on the lookout for attendees being green and will place a “Caught Green-Handed” sticker (100% biodegradable) on you if they catch you in action! Special thanks to our GREening the event sponsor, Great River Energy (GRE).

1. Share a ride! Arrange a car pool with others in your area, especially if you’re planning a long distance drive.
   
   
2. Reuse! Use the water container provided at the conference and bring a reusable coffee cup to use at “on the go” establishments.
   
   
3. Recycle! Minimize what you throw away — use provided recycling bins in your hotel and at the Convention Center.
   
   
4. Conserve energy and water during your hotel stay. Minimize water use and turn off lights or any appliances before you leave.
   
   
5. Take notes and print your conference registration confirmation, directions, etc. on both sides of the paper.
   
   
6. If flying, consider purchasing a carbon offset. For example, www.terrapass.com