What AWEA is Doing
AWEA is taking a number of steps to make WINDPOWER 2008 more environmentally-friendly as noted below. Additional environmental initiatives will be posted to this site as information becomes available so check back periodically for the latest!
- Utilizing electronic correspondence as much as possible with limited hard copy mailings.
- Encouraging people to reserve a booth and register for the event online versus in hard copy. Over 75% of WINDPOWER 2007 attendees registered on-line - let's work together to get that figure even higher this year!
- Using an online abstract submittal and review process for the conference program.
- Offering registrants an easy way to participate in our green travel program in partnership with Community Energy, Inc. During the online registration process, you can green your travel to the event by purchasing carbon offsets to reduce the environmental impact of your car and flight travel to the conference.
- Providing information to attendees about public transportation options from the 2 main Houston airports to the downtown area.
- Partnering with Community Energy, Inc. to offset the energy use of the conference at the George R. Brown Convention Center.
- Offering the exhibitor manual online as well as in CD-ROM format versus sending out all hard copy kits.
- Providing electronic session handouts before, during and after the conference through our website instead of making hundreds of hard copies for over 50 sessions which results in wasted paper. Click here for more information on this new process.
- Purchasing environmentally-friendly products for the conference including conference bags made from 90% post-consumer recycled PET (beverage & food containers). More information on the various products purchased for WINDPOWER 2008 will be posted shortly as final selections are made.
- Working with the conference hotels to ensure they are properly implementing their own environmental initiatives including linen and towel re-use programs and recycling programs.
- Ensuring there are plenty of recycling containers throughout the convention center for plastic, aluminum cans, and paper.
- Coordinating with the convention center catering company to provide environmentally-friendly disposable service ware, to serve condiments in larger containers versus individually packets, and when possible, to donate surplus food to local shelters or soup kitchens.
- Working with the George R. Brown Convention Center to set up recycling during exhibitor move-in and move-out days for items such as cardboard, unused promotional brochures, and other booth materials.
- Providing large water coolers instead of individual bottled water bottles and cups made from corn which are 100% compostable.
- Collecting unwanted badges and conference bags at the conclusion of the event to be reused, recycled, or donated to a local Houston charity as appropriate.
- Incorporating an environmental survey into the site selection process for future WINDPOWER cities as part of a founding member of the Convene Green Alliance.
- Outside of the WINDPOWER Conference itself, AWEA has an internal "Green Team" of interested staff who are investigating and implementing environmentally-friendly practices across the whole association.
