Earth Day – Digital Events Help Reach Billion Acts of Green Goal

This year’s Earth Day theme is “A Billion Acts of Green” – to help promote environmental acts and advocacy by RIO +20 (2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro).

Based on an organization’s commitment to environmental preservation and the user experience it wishes to create for its presenters and attendees, there are several environmentally friendly options available. A few simple suggestions include replacing plastic forks and knives with utensils made from corn starch, or offering only an electronic version of your event program and presentation materials, or even replacing bottled water with water coolers and recyclable cups.

Digital solutions for meetings, events, learning and communities is another way that organizations can extend the reach and impact of their business while reducing their environmental footprint. Whether web conferencing, webcasting or a virtual environment, technology allows companies to bring from a few to hundreds and thousands of people together in one place, virtually. Consider the environmental costs for an in-person event:

• Carbon Emissions: On average, each attendee will fly an average of over 1,300 miles per trip (1). This is equivalent to a flight from San Francisco Airport to Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, AZ (1,299 miles), which contributes 528 lbs of CO2 (2).
• Water Consumption: Once at the venue, an attendee will consume great amounts of energy, water, and other resources while staying at a nearby hotel. Most hotels consume 200 gallons of water per day for each occupied room (3).
• Waste Consumption: In terms of trash, the typical convention attendee who is staying at a hotel generates about 20 pounds of trash per day, compared with 4.6 pounds at home (4).

While most companies today are focusing on reducing the environmental impact of the final stage of an attendee’s experience (presentation materials and event venue), much larger environmental preservation can be achieved by converting a portion of in-person events into digital ones.

Through a virtual experience, organizations immediately eliminate the need for four major sources of waste: energy consumption, solid materials waste, travel, and lodging.

That, in itself, is one significant step toward one billions acts of green.

Share your stories in the comments on how your organization is using digital technology to be more environmentally sensitive.

Sources

1. Summary 2009 Traffic Data for U.S and Foreign Airlines: Total Passengers Down 5.3 Percent from 2008 (Bureau of Transportation Statistics, March 29, 2010)\
2. Terrapass Carbon Calculator
3. Green Lodging Program (California Department of General Services)
4. Making conventions environmentally friendly (By Ilana DeBare, San Francisco Chronicle, February 10, 2008)

Additional Resources

• Green Hotels: Opportunities and Resources for Success (Zero Waste Alliance, September 2002)
• Minimizing Solid Wastes (EPA)
• How much does an international plane use for a trip? (How Stuff Works?)
• Business and Organization Climate Calculator

Related posts:

1. Virtual Meetings Offer Green Alternative to Business Travel
2. Aflac’s Green Strategy: Simple, Low-Cost Steps Add Up
3. GreenExpo365 swept “Best in Category” in 2010 Summit International Awards
4. Cisco Collaboration Technologies Power Events With Greater Reach and Lower Costs
5. HIMSS CEO Stephen Lieber to Speak at Virtual Edge Summit on Use of Virtual Events to Expand Reach for Attendees and Exhibitors