Greening in Portland 2007
2007: Choices That Matter
Our choices do matter. The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) believes that our decisions make a difference. This belief is expressed in how we choose to conduct our meetings, including General Assembly. Beginning with our 2005 General Assembly, the UUA has made a conscious effort to green our meeting practices by reducing waste, improving energy efficiency and practicing water conservation. The UUA supports this work as we believe how we conduct our meetings is an expression of our organizational value to respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part. Through our practices we can educate and empower our attendees and suppliers and influence sponsors and exhibitors to be more conscientious global citizens. The UUA is also able to contribute to the improvement of the meeting and event industry by using our purchasing power to support more sustainable practices. On a practical level, our green practices are able to reduce waste, improve efficiencies and avoid costs.Read the full report (PDF, 15 pages) from Meeting Strategies Worldwide.
New & Better Choices in 2007
- Participation in the carbon offset project increased by 13% over 2006, with an additional 900 people deciding to offset their carbon footprint.
- Waste tracking was improved and we succeed in diverting 67% of trash from landfills—overshooting our goal to achieve a 40% recycling rate.
- More organic and local food was provided than in previous years, 21% and 61% of meals respectively.
- Included specific provisions for environmental practices in the contract with the decorator, improving upon the post-contract voluntary compliance requested in 2006.
- Hotels were engaged in voluntary green practices, including post event reporting.
- UUA further reduced paper waste by increasing online communication to delegates and printing the conference program using 10-30% post-consumer recycled content paper.
The Oregon Convention Center
The Oregon Convention Center (OCC) has incorporated numerous sustainable design features and programs that have earned it some of the industry's most distinctive certifications and awards, including Portland General Electric's certification as an "Earth Advantage" building.
The center won the 2003 BEST Award (Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow) for its innovative storm water management system, the OCC "Rain Garden", an implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency's "Best Management Practices" for storm water treatment.
In 2004, the U.S. Green Building Council certified the OCC under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED™) Existing Buildings' rating system. OCC is the second convention center in the nation to be LEED rated and the first convention center to receive certification under the new program.
OCC's Rain Garden is an extensive system that takes rainwater from the roof of the facility and filters it through a series of settling ponds and landscape features before it is released into the nearby Willamette River.
The grounds and the building exteriors are both designed to reduce the "heat islands" produced by asphalt, concrete or open hard surface roofs. The use of natural habitat vegetation in landscaping and the facility's roof design meet Energy Star requirements for emissivity and reflectance.
Last updated on Wednesday, March 26, 2008.
