At the end of day at many conferences or events,
water, juice and soda bottles are stuffed into overflowing
trashcans that are already stuffed with plastic wrap, paper
lunch bags, chip packages and discarded brochures and
handouts from the event. Sometimes the items are left
strewn on tables waiting for a cleanup crew to throw into a
plastic bag. Today there are many ways to organize an ecofriendly event so that fewer resources and commodities are
used, thereby benefiting the environment and potentially
yielding a cost savings in certain areas. The waste that is
seen at conferences can also be witnessed on the Smith
campus. With this in mind, the objective of this project
was to look into how to organize green meetings, do cost
comparisons between using biodegradable supplies and
regular supplies and locate vendors for biodegradable
products, with the intention of providing the findings to
Ann Finley, Dining Services. While Ms. Finley has expressed
an interest in using sustainable products for To-Go
lunches, the information presented can potentially be used
college wide for events. The research, mainly gathered from
the Internet, showed that while biodegradable alternatives
are available, they are still in their infancy and that
most brands can be traced back to very few manufacturing
companies. The biodegradable products are comparable in
price for some items but show a discrepancy for other
items. When comparing cost alone, plastics were always less
expensive than biodegradable items.
The vision for this project was to assemble green
meeting basics, to focus on the availability of
biodegradable dining wares and to determine the
practicality of using them for To-Go lunches, in
particular. Disposable plastic negatively impacts the
environment because of landfill usage and of toxic byproducts from the manufacturing process. Because green
meeting guidelines and biodegradable alternatives are still
relatively new, information for this report is from
websites and interviews. A search of WorldCat and Amazon
did not find books about green or sustainable event,
meeting or conference planning.
Using renewable resources instead of non-renewable
resources at events and take away meals reduces the effect
of toxic emission from the manufacturing and incinerating
of non-renewable products and of eliminating them from
landfills. Furthermore, factories have less hazardous waste
for disposal. The greatest benefit of using non-petroleum
based products could be that the USA reliance on foreign
oil would be reduced.
An advantage of using biochemicals that extends beyond
the reduction of the undesirable consequences of petroleumbased products is the enhancement that can happen to the
economy of depressed areas in the heartland. Crops that are
needed to produce recyclable materials are cumbersome to
transport and store, so factories are built in rural areas
where the crops are grown (sustainablebusiness.com).
Farmers in these areas could be benefited by billions of
dollars in revenue due to the AgVision 2020 program that
has a goal for “plants to become the source of 10% of
chemical feedstock by 2020” (sustainablebusiness.com) to
make products including plastic.
Every year the United States disposes of approximately
“60 billion cups, 20 billion eating utensils and 25 billion
plates”, (Bradford, Cain, Drumm, Hay, 2003) all nonrenewable dining wares that are useful to have available
for the on-the-go lifestyle of Americans. If this waste
were biodegradable, it could become fertile compost instead
of taking up existing landfill space and requiring new
space to be created. Establishing new landfills requires
“complex steps to minimize negative impact of the
environment” (Marisson, Sano, Ueta 2004) and uses space
that could serve building or agricultural purposes.
One hundred years ago most products were made from
plant matter; by the 1980s, petroleum almost replaced
biological materials (sustainablebusiness.com). Now, due to
high petroleum prices, better technology for making plant
base products and government support, dining products are
again being made with plants such as corn, sugar and
bamboo. Now after an event, these products can be combined
with food waste, put in a bioplastic bag and sent to a
compost facility (sustainablebusiness.com).
According to the Convention Industry Council, a green
meeting or event incorporates environmental considerations
to minimize its negative impact on the environment.
Additional benefits of a green event can be financial
savings. The case study in the Appendix shows some costs
savings, compiled by Meeting Strategies Worldwide (MSW).
From the 2002 Forest Leadership Forum green conference that
was attended by 1,300 participants, MSW found that online
registration saved $3,900 in paper, printing and postage,
that not providing conference bags saved $11,700 and that
not providing handouts saved $1,950. Using water in
pitchers instead of plastic bottles saved $12,187, and
serving condiments in bulk rather than packages saved 62%
on cream and 50% on sugar. The biggest savings, $30,00 $40,000 was due to choosing hotels close to the Convention
Center, thereby eliminating the need for buses. The total
green savings from the conference was more than $60,000
(Spatrisano and Wilson, 2003).
The closest the US comes to having a set of standards
for planning a green event is the Convention Industry
Council’s Green Meeting Report. In 2003, a Council’s task
force established best practices to be used as guidelines
of sustainability in meeting planning. The guidelines are
divided into supplier and organizer sections and deal with
matters such as accommodations, location, transportation,
meals, communication, marketing and education. In addition
to the CIC report, there are other guides such as the EPA’s
It’s Easy being Green, BlueGreen Meetings, the National
Recycling Coalition’s Green Meetings Policy, and the
Canadian “Green” Meeting Guide.
MSW has some steps to consider for planning a green
event. After gaining the support of the leadership of the
conference by highlighting the environmental benefits,
potential cost saving and the “look good” image of hosting
a green event, Step 1 is to identify environmental
priorities and measures that can be put in place to
accomplish those objectives in an economically feasible
way. At this stage, policies and expectations should be
detailed to eventually communicate to all parties expected
to be involved – vendors, the facility and the attendees.
Step 2 is to establish a respectful relationship with the
facility and vendors and to identify areas of environmental
improvement that can fit the budget of both. The policies
and expectations that were established in Step 1 can now be
communicated to the facility and vendors. The third step is
to assure success by carefully working with and checking
the facility and each vendor to make sure there is follow
through of expectations. Step 4 looks at ways to measure
success of an event. A survey is a way to measure how
successful the participants consider the event to be. The
list below of best practices for greening an event can be
used to figure out the reduction of environmental impact in
a quantifiable way. Step 5 is where parties should evaluate
and share lessons learned from the event.
Below is a list of many best practices for planning a
green event.
Environmentally Responsible Planning Measures
Recommended by Amy Spatrisano and Nancy Wilson of Meeting
Strategies Worldwide in Greening a Global Conference:
Lessons for the Future unless otherwise noted as EPA It’s
Easy Being Green, BG (Blue Green Meetings) or C (Canadian
“Green” Meeting Guide)
Basic Operations
• Communicate via e-mail rather than traditional mail or
memos.
• Use an online registration system.
• Make two-sided copies.
• Use recycled paper.
•
•
•
•
•
Do not hand out a conference bag. If you must have a
bag, make sure it is constructed of recycled materials
or cloth.
Use recyclable nametag holders. EPA
Use non-toxic markers. C
Signage should be reusable. C
Place cards and banners should be reusable or made
from recycled materials. C
Marketing Materials
• Print on recycled paper with vegetable or soy based
ink.
• Publish the registration brochure online only. At
most, send a postcard with the date steering attendees
to a Web site.
• Limit speaker handouts to materials on request.
• Ask participants to use their own pens and paper but
provide some for those who forget. C
Food and Beverage
• Serve items such as cream, sugar, mustard and ketchup
in bulk containers.
• Provide water in pitchers or large bottled water
stations instead of individual bottles.
• Donate consumable items to a local food bank.
• Use local and sustainable food products.
• Implement recycling of glass, plastic, metal and paper
and encourage use with signs and announcements.
• Use cloth instead of paper napkins and paper
tablecloths and cutlery instead of plastic
utensils. Otherwise, use biodegradable items.
• Serve smoothies instead of packaged snacks.
• Eliminate the use of disposable items, especially
Styrofoam, plastic straws and coffee stirrers.
• Provide reusable mugs for coffee and water. EPA
• Serve bite size breakfast snacks and fresh fruit on
small reusable plates. EPA
• Discard food waste in a warm composting bin. EPA
• Do a careful head count of attendees to reduce
preparation of meals. EPA
• Allow delegates to pre-select their meal sizes
beforehand. BG
• Choose centerpieces and decorations that can be reused
such as living plants or silk flowers. Give then away
as table prizes. BG
Meeting Location
•
Choose a hotel within walking distance of the
convention center.
• Eliminate shuttles.
• Educate attendees about public transportation and
walking routes.
• Find naturally lighted meeting and exhibit spaces. EPA
• Facility Management
• Turn off lights, equipment and air conditioning while
not in rooms.
• When practical, use natural cooking, ceiling fans,
curtains and blinds. C
In order to find out more about planning a green event, I
talked to one of the principals, Amy Spatrisano, of Meeting
Strategies Worldwide, a green conference management company
in Oregon. Ms. Spatrisano emphasized the tremendous and
unfortunate impact that large conferences have on the
environment. She mentioned that even though green event
planning has been happening since the late 1980s, the
momentum for hosting green events has only begun to
accelerate in the past year and a half. In part, she
believes that this has to do with messages of global
warming and high oil prices that are increasingly in the
media. Ms. Spatrisano said the biggest challenge that green
events planners face is expelling the myth that executing a
green event is too hard or too expensive to do. Lessons she
has learned have been the importance of being emphatic with
venue management and vendors about the greening of a
meeting from the start, of the need to carefully monitor
progress, and of allowing enough time for ordering supplies
and making changes to arrangements, if need be. In
addition, participants in the event should be educated on a
website, in pre-registration and program materials, and in
announcements at the meeting about the event being green,
and they should be encouraged to recycle in containers that
are provided.
In recent years, several biodegradable and recyclable
food and beverage products, that can be used when hosting a
sustainable event, have become available. These products,
as an alternative to petroleum based plastics, are
attracting the attention of a few colleges, such as
Middlebury, which has begun to incorporate some of these
supplies into their dining services. Currently, Middlebury
is using cornstarch cutlery and cups for beer and wine and
bamboo-reed plates. Their experience with the cornstarch
spoons has been that they become limp if left in a bowl of
soup too long. I questioned the concern that cornstarch
products could create an allergic reaction in someone who
has a corn allergy. There have been no known incidents of
any reaction at Middlebury.
Figure 1 describes types of biodegradable food and
beverage products that are now available. PLA (polylactic
acid) is made in the USA by Cargill Dow from glucose,
mainly corn, and can be used with food that is less than
110 degrees. The products are clear and look like plastic
made from petroleum. Bagasse is made from sugar cane fiber
that is bleached with hydrogen peroxide to make it white.
Bagasse products are oil resistant, can be used with all
temperatures of food and liquid and can be microwaved or
put in a freezer. Earthshell is another white, hot-cold
product, presently used to make plates and bowls, which are
made from limestone and vegetable starches. It is similar
to Styrofoam but is biodegradable. Chinet Naturals is made
into plates and bowls from the pulp of defective milk
cartons. They are unbleached, microwave and freezer save,
oil resistant and made in the USA. Cellophane is a storage
packaging material made from cellulose of trees and plants.
Like Bagasse and Chinet, it is oil resistant and can be
microwaved and used in a freezer (recyclaholics.com).
Biograde is a hot and cold product made from cellulose and
limestone. (biodegradablestore.com) The various types of
products take between 30 and 120 days to decompose. PLA
takes 30 – 45 days, Bagasse takes 45 – 60 days, Cereplast
less than 60 days and BioGrade 90 – 120 days. See the
Appendix for a picture of a cup as it biodegrades.
When I tested the durability of some biodegradable
utensils, the results were that the corn fork immediately
became very soft and lost its structure in hot water while
the cellulose/limestone fork bent only slightly in hot
water and returned to its original shape when removed from
the hot water. Spoons of the same materials did not change
in any way in lukewarm or cold water.
While it was quite possible to find biodegradable,
compostable food and beverage serving products on the
Internet, the task of finding biodegradable, recyclable
food packaging was fruitless. At one point, Earthshell
produced a wrap for hot and cold sandwiches. When I called
Earthshell to price their hinged lid sandwich and salad
container, I was told they no longer produce the containers
or the wrap. The person I spoke with could not explain why.
My search for biodegradable packaging at Whole Foods
yielded nothing. According to Ms. Spatrisano, the reason
for this is that the FDA has not allowed recycled waste,
such as newspaper and magazine that have been touched by
consumers, to be used in food packaging. This postconsumer
material can only be used for items such as paper towels
and napkins. Recycled waste, such as mill scraps, that have
not been touched by the consumer (preconsumer) can be used
in hot cups and plates and bowls.
Only recently has the FDA allowed a breakthrough in
their restrictions. After eight years of research and
testing, Starbucks was finally allowed to introduce a 10%
postconsumer recycled hot cup in March 2006 (greenbiz.com).
According to greenbiz.com, this cup is expected to reduce
the “company’s dependence of tree fiber annually by more
than five million pounds” (greenbiz.com). It is a food
industry first and a milestone. Further savings from using
10% postconsumer Starbuck cups can be seen in Figure 2.
A cost comparison among biodegradable products and
with petroleum-based products can be seen in Figure 3. For
all the biodegradable products that were compared to
plastic products, 7-inch plates, 12 oz. cups and flatware
were at least twice as costly as plastic and, in the case
of cutlery, were four to six times more expensive than the
products from HPC Food Services. Biodegradable, hinged
clamshells were less expensive than biodegradable To Go
containers with lids. Most of the prices for biodegradable
products were close to one another regardless of the
supplier. An exception was the rectangular container with a
lid that was about one third less at mansfieldpaper.com
than at biodegradablestore.com. When comparing costs of
plastic products versus biodegradable products, the cost of
disposal of non-biodegradable products must be factored in.
While there were several different suppliers of
products, I presented two or three with the best prices for
each item. Except for the rectangular container,
mansfieldpaper.com had the best prices, and
biodegradablestore.com was next. Mansfield Paper is in
Springfield and biodegradablestore.com is in Colorado, so
shipping costs should be less from Springfield, and fewer
resources would be used for transportation as well as less
greenhouse gases emitted.
While numbers can be gathered from some websites about
the cost savings of green planning, Smith should run their
own numbers for a scenario. The first step would be to
identify and price biodegradable products at sites like
mansfieldpaper.com and biodegradablestore.com. Next the
number of non-biodegradable products currently being
purchased at Smith should be determined. The cost for the
same amount of biodegradable and non-biodegradable products
should be computed to find the annual cost of buying each
item. The freight charges of each potential order should be
determined from the suppliers or by figuring the mileage
between suppliers and Smith and multiplying a factor that
could include the price of gas and other trucking expenses.
Lastly, disposal prices for waste would need to be factored
into the total cost of using biodegradable and nonbiodegradable dining wares.
Though still in its early stage, green event planning
is happening more often, and there are new and more
products appearing on the market to make these events
sustainable. A goal for society is to have the green
meeting guidelines become the norm for all conference and
event plans. In addition, colleges and universities can use
the same strategies and products to make a positive impact
on the environment.
REFERENCES
According to Mary Koncel of the Jacobson Center, when
citing references for individual products, it should be
acceptable to provide the site for the main products page
that will make it possible to easily find all of the
products for the entire website. This is what I have done.
Barchard, W. Wayne. (1995). “Green” Meeting Guide.
http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/greenman/manual/greenpdf.pdf
Biette, Matthew. Director, Dining Services. Phone
interview. Middlebury College. Spring 2006.
Biodegradablestore.com. http://biodegradablestore.com
Biodegradablestore.com. Biograde Forks.
http://biodegradablestore.com/pp/Utensils/bio/pp_bio_fork_C
&P.html
Bluegreenmeetings.org. Blue Green Meeting Hosts and
Planners.
http://www.bluegreenmeetings.org/HostsAndPlanners/index.htm
Bradford, C., Cain, M., Drumm, M., Hay, S. (2003)
Biodegradable Alternatives for
Styrofoam and Plastic. Environment and Resources Studies,
WATgreen project.
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infowast/watgreen/projects/libr
ary/f03biodegradeablesatstjeromes.pdf
Convention Industry Council’s Green Meeting Report. April
6, 2004.
http://www.conventionindustry.org/projects/green_meetings_r
eport.pdf
Environmentaldefense.org. (Posted April 27, 2006) Starbucks
Paper Project.
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/article.cfm?contentid=7
91
Environmental Protection Agency. (1996). It’s Easy Being
Green!
http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/reduce/grn-mtgs/gmbklt.pdf
Finley, Ann. Area Manager, Dining Services, Meetings and
emails, Smith College, Spring 2006.
Greenearthofficesupply.com. Green Earth Office Supply.
http://store.yahoo.com/greenearthofficesupply/kitsup.html
Greenbiz.org. (Posted October 17, 2005). Starbucks Honored
for Recycled Content Cup.
http://www.greenbiz.com/news/news_third.cfm?NewsID=28968
Instaware.com. Instasearch.
http://instawares.com/powersearch.asp?sessionID=132195E1D6E
CD334ABB0140&mySearchTerm=dart&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=
0&site=
Mansfieldpaper.com. Environmentally Safe Alternatives.
http://www.mansfieldpaper.com/environmentallysafe.html
Marissen, B., Sano, R., Ueta, C. (2004). Waste Management
Davis Centre Cutlery Study. Environment and Resources
Studies, WATgreen project.
http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infowast/watgreen/projects/libr
ary/w04dccutlerystudy.pdf
Pladirect.com. Greenware. http://pladirect.com/
Recyclaholics.com. (Posted Jan. 13, 2006). Recyclaholics
Price List. http://recyclaholics.com/list.htm
Spatrisano, Amy. Meetings Strategies Worldwide Coprincipal, phone interview by Julia Kuhns on April 21,
2006.
Spatrisano, Amy, Wilson. Greening a Global Conference:
Lessons for the Future. (2003).
www.meetingstrategiesworldwide.com/docs/MSWW_Case_Study.pdf
Sustainablebuisiness.com. (Posted June 21, 2001). The
Carbohydrate Economy: Return to BioBased Products.
http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/
features/feature_template.cfm?ID=389
CASE STUDY
April 25 –27 Atlanta
2002 Forest Leadership Program
Hosted by
World Wildlife Fund and Certified Forest Products Council
1,300 Participants
During a typical 5-day conference, 2,500 attendees may use
62,500 plates
75,000 cups
87,500 napkins
90,000 can/bottles
Cost reduction due to environmentally responsible measures at this conference
Using on-line registration eliminated paper, printing and postage, saving $3 for each
registrant for a total of $3,900.
Not providing conference bags—$9 for each of 1,300 attendees—saved $11,700, plus
shipping.
Not providing handouts—15 pages each for 1,300 attendees—saved $1,950.
Providing water in pitchers instead of plastic bottles, at the rate of only one bottle per
participant per day, saved $12,187.
Serving condiments in bulk rather than individual packets is less expensive; i.e., bulk
creamer is 62% cheaper, bulk sugar 50% cheaper.
Eliminating the need for buses by choosing hotels close to the Convention Center saved
$30,000 - $40,000 for a three-day conference.
Recycling plastic name badges at $.75 each save $975.
Greening a Global Conference: Lesson for the Future MSW, Inc.
Figure 1 About Compostable Materials
PLA (polylactic acid) – PLA is made from glucose from agricultural crops such as corn
and potatoes and are fully biodegradable and compostable. Reusable - can be washed in a
sink of water (not an automatic dishwasher, though). Not designed for use with hot foods
(e.g., over 110 degrees). Clear – looks just like traditional petro-plastic. Raw material is
manufactured in the USA by Cargill Dow, from crops grown in the USA. However,
much of the conversion is done by Asian and European companies at this time. Because
the crops used are not organic, and come from the general markets, they are not
guaranteed GMO-free. When the prices on these products come down, so that there is a
market for the more expensive organic/GMO-free version, the company will produce
such a line.
Bagasse (sugar cane) – These Bagasse food service products are made of sugar cane fiber
that is a by-product of the sugar refining process. The products are bleached with
hydrogen peroxide and do not have any coating, so that they are biodegradable and
compostable. They can be used for hot or cold foods, and are thick and sturdy,
microwaveable, freezer safe, oil resistant and capable of handing boiling water. Soft
white color. Made in China.
Chinet Natural (plates/bowls) – These plates/bowls are made of post-industrial waste
from poly-coated milk carton production (defective cartons that never had milk in them).
The plastic is separated from the milk carton stock and then the pulp is used for the
plates/bowls, while the plastic goes to a company that uses it in a waste-to-energy
production process. The plates are unbleached and made thick and durable without any
coating, so that they are biodegradable. They can be used for hot or cold foods, and are
microwaveable, freezer safe, oil resistant and capable of handling boiling water. Soft
beige color. Made in the USA.
EarthShell – These products are made primarily from abundant limestone and renewable
starch and are 100% biodegradable and compostable. Throughout the life cycle of the
packaging, less energy and fossil fuel are required, resulting in lower greenhouse gas
emissions and lower amounts of a wide variety of air and water emissions compared to
traditional packaging. Natural white color. Works well with hot and cold foods. Made in
the USA.
Cellophane - Cellophane is a natural polymer made from cellulose, a component of trees
and plants. The cellophane we source is made from cottonwood trees sustainably farmed
and harvested specifically for cellophane production – no rainforest or old growth trees
are used. We only carry the uncoated 100% biodegradable cellophane products, which
generally biodegrade in 28-60 days. Cellophane is considered a high-grade packaging
material, which is used for the storage of many types of products, including food. Some
food products commonly stored in cellophane include baked goods, candy, nuts, dried
fruits, spices, as well as greasy or oily products. Cellophane has an average water vapor
rating and excellent machinability and heat sealability. Cellophane may be microwaved
and can be used in the freezer. Light and heavy weight available.
From www.recyclaholics.com
FIGURE 2
The environmental savings pour in
As the country’s number-one specialty coffee retailer, Starbucks goes through a lot of
cups—1.9 billion of them. Environmental Defense calculates that Starbucks’ move to use
new hot cups with 10 percent postconsumer recycled paper will achieve the following
annual environmental improvements:
Resource savings
Equivalency
11,300 fewer tons of wood consumed
or about 78,000 trees
58 billion BTUs of energy saved
enough to supply 640 homes for a year
47 million gallons of wastewater avoided
enough to fill 71 Olympic-sized swimming pools
3 million pounds of solid waste prevented
equivalent to 109 fully loaded garbage trucks
Source: www.papercalculator.org
in www.environmentaldefense.org
FIGURE 3 COST COMPARISON
7-inch plate 1000 count
Bagasse
Bagasse
Foam plastic
69.90
75.00
30.39
biodegradablestore.com
greenearthofficesupply.com
Dart – instawares.com
179.50
163.50
75.08
biodegradablestore.com
Greenware – pladirect.com
Dart – instawares.com
9 oz. cup 2500 count
Corn
Corn
Plastic
12 oz. cold cup 1000 count
Corn
Corn
Plastic
79.50
88.80
32.33
Greenware – mansfieldpaper.com
biodegradablestore.com
Dart – instawares.com
12 oz. hot cup 1000 count
Biodegradable paper 82.95
Biodegradable paper 89.90
Clovernook Center – mansfieldpaper.com
biodegradablestore.com
Flatware
knives, forks or spoons
1000 count
Corn/potato
Wheat-non GMO
Cellulose/limestone
Plastic
35.40
54.00
70.00
8.37
Cereplast - mansfieldpaper.com
Earthware – greenearthofficesupply.com
Biograde – biodegradablestore.com
HPC Food Services – email from Ann Finley
24 oz. To Go containers 250 count
Corn
Corn
91.60
65.00
Hinged Clamshell 250 count
NaturesPLA – mansfieldpaper.com
NaturesPLA – biodegradablestore.com
Bagasse 7x5x2.5
Corn 6x6x3
42.50
51.00
biodegradablestore.com
biodegradablestore.com