Measuring Progress in Greening the General Assembly

General Assembly (GA) planners measure event sustainability in multiple layers. We have a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) that are tracked from event to event. This includes three groups of measures:

• Footprint measures for carbon, energy, water and waste
• The extent to which the event complied with criteria the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) has for sustainable purchasing
• Any reduction benefits associated with procurement

Meetgreen® Calculator

This score-based tool rates sustainability for a specific event using a 100 point scale. It awards credit to the planner for making requests, successfully implementing best practices and measuring performance.

APEX-ASTM Standard

Adopted in 2012, this technical standard provides criteria an event must meet in order to be considerd “environmentally sustainable”. The Standard has four Levels with more than 400 requirements in order to meet Level One.

Attendee Feedback

The UUA invites feedback from attendees in multiple ways. Qualitative comments are provided onsite and recorded in a journal in the exhibit hall. In addition a post-event online evaluation is sent to all attendees. Event participants are invited to provide comments on all event practices, in addition to sustainability.

What We Did Well in 2012

We encourage you to read the 2012 General assembly Sustainability Report (PDF) compiled by Meetgreen.

Improve Overall Event Sustainability

• Increased MeetGreen® Calculator score to 82% from 72%.
• Increased APEX/ASTM compliance to 81% of Level One requirements from 55%.

Reduce Energy, Water & Waste Footprint

• Reduced waste per participant from 0.64 lbs to under 0.13 lbs per person per day.
• Reduced venue water use by 22,791 gallons.
• Avoided 33 metric tons of carbon emissions by providing remote participation options.

Measure Benefits of More Sustainable Purchases

• Avoided 85,203 kWh of energy use, 356,688 L of water use, 13 MT of solid waste and 139 MT CO2 through purchases.
• Improved purchasing practices at three housing sites.
• Expanded recycling programs at two housing sites and one venue.
• Increased renewable energy purchases to 100% of venue energy sourced and 100% of guest rooms.
• Achieved 17% local and 49% regional food purchases.

Engage Participants in Sustainability

• 14 volunteers provided 350 hours of service recycling.
• $72,009 was raised for two community organizations: Tonatierra and Puente. An additional $64,817 was raised for Immigration Ministry In Arizona.
• 866 metric tons of emissions were offset, more than in any previous year.

Goals Not Met in 2012

Reduce Energy, Water & Waste Footprint

• Average carbon footprint per attendee increased to 1,486 lbs CO2.
• Increased venue energy use by 209,367 kWh.

Engage Participants in Sustainability

• 39% of carbon emissions were offset, down from 63% in 2011.
• 7% of exhibitors participated in the Green Exhibitor Program, down from 17% in 2011.

General Assembly’s Influence on Vendor Purchasing

Simple changes to purchasing decisions can dramatically reduce the environmental impact of hotels and convention centers. Staff from MeetGreen® analyze the operations of each of the hotels used for General Assembly (GA) to ensure each property meets the Unitarian Universalist Associations’s requirements for sustainability. As a result of this analysis, each of the hotels made changes to their supply chain to improve their operations.

2012 Achievements

The Hyatt Regency Phoenix already stocked toilet paper with 90-100% recycled content but when they looked at the facial tissue in guests’ bathrooms, hotel staff realized that the box was recycled but that the tissue was not. The Hyatt’s operations team did some research and decided to permanently switch to an alternative facial tissue that was softer, less expensive, FSC certified, and made from 20% post-consumer content.

When working with staff at the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, MeetGreen® discovered the coffee cup used for the hotel’s in-room coffee service was made of polystyrene, a material that is difficult to recycle. The Renaissance staff looked into other options and found a compostable cup, lid and sleeve all from EcoProducts. UUA attendees could bring this cup to the Phoenix Convention Center for composting, diverting the cup from the landfill.

A third example of sustainable purchasing comes from the Arizona State University dorm at Taylor Place. Normally, Taylor Place orders linens from a company that delivers sheet sets that come wrapped in plastic so that Taylor Place staff can quickly deliver a complete set to each guest room. Taylor Place requested their vendor change the way they packaged the linens for GA and had guests pick them up at check-in, eliminating a considerable amount of unnecessary plastic packaging from the waste stream.

In addition to the above, all three hotels agreed to offset total carbon emissions resulting from the energy used in all GA guest rooms at their property. This is a first for the event which has struggled to negotiate purchase of renewable energy by hotels. Carbon offsets were purchased and verified through the Carbon Fund.