SEIU’s First Green Convention
SEIU is committed to reducing the amount of solid waste generated by our meeting, eliminating the use of toxic materials, and doing everything we can to save water, energy and money at the 2008 Convention.
Why does SEIU care about being green?
Global climate change itself—the gradual warming of the planet due to too much CO2 production—is an environmental crisis that will affect millions of workers’ communities and workplaces, potentially for generations to come. Working people already suffer from environmental factors that contribute to global climate change: from the high incidence of asthma among our children, to the contaminated air, land and water in our neighborhoods, to the increasingly high cost of heating our homes and fueling our cars.
As a large organization, what SEIU does matters. Through a few simple changes, we can dramatically reduce the environmental impact of our Convention.
Paper: A green convention starts with registration: online registration and follow-up confirmation saves enormous amounts of paper and eliminates printing and postage costs. Based on 2,000 participants at $3 per registrant, that would be a savings of $6,000.
When we must use paper, we will make two-sided copies and use paper with a recycled content of at least 50 percent. Speaker presentations will be available online only instead of in print, and we will provide well-marked recycling bins throughout the conference site.
Water: One big change at a green convention will be the use of water dispensers and re-usable drink containers. Disposable plastic water bottles are a large and growing source of waste and a big expense. If 1,300 conference participants use one bottle of one per day, that would cost $12,187. Bottled water adds up quickly—both in costs to SEIU and to space in landfills.
How attendees can help: With your participation, we can make the conference even greener. Here are some things you can do:
-
Limit frequency that you request fresh linens and towels in your hotel room.
-
When not in your hotel room, shut off lights and air conditioning.
-
Use public transportation (or bicycle) as much as possible on the island.
Thank you for helping make our Convention green.