Sustainability

Annual Meeting Sustainability Initiatives

We are looking to increase the overall sustainability of the Annual Meeting across its three core pillars, environmental, social/cultural, and economic. Here’s how we’ll do it, with the support of our sustainability partner, Destination Canada, and mindful choices by each of you. 

Canadian Tourism Commission

2024 Highlight: Single-use Plastics

We are focused on reducing all single-use plastics and eliminating single-use plastic bottles at this year’s meeting. Sustainability is a collective effort, and we need your help. Don’t forget to pack your reusable water bottle and plan to fill it up at one of the 11 filling stations available throughout the meeting. Visit Destination Canada’s Sustainability Stories Pavilion onsite right in front of the Grand Ballroom on Saturday between 2:00pm-5:00pm,  Sunday and Monday between 7:30am-4:00pm, or Tuesday between 9:00am-1:15pm to show us your bottle and be entered into a drawing to win a registration to next year’s conference. Also, Team Canada will be on hand to answer questions about the Sustainability Stories featured at the pavilion on Sunday and Monday between 10:00am-4:00pm. Stop by the pavilion throughout the meeting to fill up your bottle and get actionable ideas on how you can implement a more sustainable meeting by embracing all pillars of sustainability—economic, social/cultural, and environmental.

Sustainability Stories Pavilion

Looking to level-up your sustainability efforts around your meetings? This year Destination Canada has put together a thoughtful Sustainability Stories Pavilion that will spark ideas for how your association can increase your event sustainability and advance key United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using real-world examples from across Canada. Stop by the pavilion throughout the meeting to fill up your bottle and get actionable ideas on how you can implement a more sustainable meeting by embracing all pillars of sustainability—economic, social/cultural, and environmental. Team Canada will be on hand to answer questions about the Sustainability Stories featured at the pavilion on Sunday and Monday between 10:00am-4:00pm.

General Services Contractor & Decorator

  • ASAE signage and booth insert graphics are printed on recyclable material and separated from non-recyclable materials at the end of the conference.
  • Recycled carpeting provided for use inside the Expo. Post-show, all carpet is returned for reuse.
  • All metal structures are reused and recycled from event to event. At the end of their serviceable life, these elements are 100% recyclable.
  • Inventory props, counters, ribbon wall, and hanging sign frames are all reused and recycled from event to event.

Sustainability Stations within the Expo Hall

ASAE will once again offer sustainability stations in the expo hall for appropriate distribution to, recycle, convert food scraps to energy, and waste.

Registration

  • Print badges on-site, cuts down on waste by not pre-printing.
  • Eliminated the use of plastic badge holders.
  • Badges are produced on coated paper that is recyclable and does not require a holder. Lanyards are a combination of recycled materials and biodegradable plastic
  • Paperless: all conference resources and program contained within the app.

Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland

The Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland (the Center) holds the LEED Gold Certification as well as a participant in the Cleveland 2030 District, which is a movement dedicated to building new, high-performance districts that reduce environmental impact.

Huntington Convention Center Grinding for Green Program: The Center has an in-house Grind2Energy system that allows for the diversion of food scraps from landfills by grinding, storing, and removing them. The leftovers are then converted to energy, natural gas, electricity, and soil nutrients. In 2022, the Grind2Energy program successfully converted over 35,000 lbs. of food scrap slurry into energy.

Green Rooftop: The Center lives under a 4-acre green rooftop that makes up the outdoor space. The green roof not only exposes a breathtaking view of Lake Erie, but also reduces combined sewer overflow by incorporating plant life and solid materials that efficiently filter stormwater.

Change Please Coffee program: Levy Catering (in-house catering provider of The Center) partners with the Change Please Coffee Program whereby profits from coffee purchased by ASAE during the Annual Meeting & Expo will help provide people experiencing homelessness with job training and living wage jobs.


 

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