Meet green at the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center!
Green Meeting Planner Tips
Here are some tips for meeting planners to make your meetings greener:
- Choose a green meeting venue that is committed to operating in ways that are sensitive to the environment, like the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center. Venues that are committed to composting, recycling, green cleaning, sustainable local food initiatives and energy consumption reduction.
- Go paperless: Use electronic registration to eliminate the need for paper. Print all documents double-sided. Provide conference summaries on disk or online and use electronic presentations or dry-erase boards rather than flipcharts. When you must use paper, use recycled paper or Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
- Use linens, glass and silverware. When that is just not possible, we will only offer compostable paper and plastic products as an alternative.
- Encourage guests to carpool, take human-powered transportation (walk or cycle), or use public transit.
- Promote water efficiency with guests. Re-usable water bottles make great gifts for attendees.
- If you forget to turn out the lights, our sensors will take care of it for you.
- Ask your Event Manager to arrange to have our staff recycle your cardboard, pallets, packing materials, and any unused materials.
- Give your guests gifts that are consumable (foods or services), support the local community or are ecofriendly.
- Schedule fresh air breaks and enjoy the beautiful northwest!
Recycling
Most events use only glassware, silverware and re-usable linens.
Bottles and cans are now recycled via single stream recycling of tin, aluminum, glass and plastic bottles and cans.
Planet Power
Green Power Purchases are made monthly from Snohomish County Public Utilities District. Green power is energy generated from renewable resources, generated by a renewable source such as wind or sunlight, with minimal impact to the environment in a process creating little or no pollution.
Energy Conservation
Lighting in meeting rooms and bathrooms throughout the building are on timers to reduce energy consumption.
Cleaning
Venue partners Cleanevent have switched to bio-based cleaning products and recycled content mops with 100% of cotton and polyester content coming from reclaimed post-consumer PET (soda/water bottles). They are making the switch on floor and carpet cleaning and changing to green-certified equipment for better quality air.
Sustainable Food
Food service provider Centerplate’s mission statement: “To showcase and assist in sustaining and growing the agriculture and wine industries of Snohomish County by incorporating local ingredients in our recipes and suggesting and pouring local wines”. Centerplate is dedicated to using locally grown organic produce and supporting the area’s agricultural industries in Washington state.
The kitchen and concession cooking oil is recycled in partnership with Standard Biodiesel of Arlington, WA to create bio-diesel. Biodiesel is the clean burning alternative fuel that is produced when glycerin is separated from fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves two products – methyl esters (biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct sold to be used in soaps and other products).
The Edward D. Hansen Conference Center’s use of paper products is virtually non-existent with all events utilizing glass, silverware and linens.
Bulk dispensing of condiments for most food service in the Conference Center.
Composting
Cedar Grove Composting organic waste program was launched in the kitchen resulting in a significant reduction of waste. Food scraps, food-soiled paper including pizza boxes, plant and wood (pallet) scraps including landscaping clippings.
Earth Hour
Global Spectrum at the Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center joined other facilities and cities around the world by turning off non-essential lights for just one hour – Earth Hour – to show that it’s possible to take action on global warming. Earth Hour originated as an event promoted by World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Australia, which asked households and businesses to turn off their lights and non-essential electrical appliances for one hour to promote electricity conservation to lower carbon emissions. Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming. From 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm March 29, 2008, Global Spectrum powered down the Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center’s exterior lighting including roof, building perimeter and mast lights.
These ‘green initiatives’ are part of Global Spectrum’s STEP UP (Global Spectrum Total Environmental Plan) Program, a commitment to the community’s we serve to seek and implement new elements for conserving energy, reducing consumption and recycling.
What’s next?
LEED-EB Certification
The Comcast Arena at Everett Events Center is seeking LEED Certification for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB). The LEED for Existing Buildings is an Operations and Maintenance Rating System to help business owners and operators measure operations, improvements and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing environmental impacts.