Ways to be greener while attending Convention
Do you want to help make Convention more sustainable? Commit to at least three out of these five actions, and you can add a Green Ribbon to your badge:
- Walk, shuttle, or take public transit to and from all GBTA programming
- Bring your own water bottle to all GBTA programming
- Separate your waste thoughtfully and use the correct bins
- Take the GREEN GBTA quiz via our app to learn about GBTA’s sustainability efforts at Convention
- Try an all-vegan or all-vegetarian meal during your trip to Dallas
To receive more information about how to add the Green Ribbon to your badge, make sure to register and watch out for details via email. We also encourage you to attend an Education session to learn about sustainability in the business travel sector.
Ways we are making our event greener
In 2022, GBTA calculated the carbon emissions of Convention in San Diego, and used this calculation to offset venue emissions and staff travel. GBTA purchased 457 tons of CO2e from a truck stop electrification carbon offset project in Texas. According to the American Carbon Registry, long-haul truck idling accounts for 11.5 million tons of GHG emissions every year. This is not only harmful to the planet, but to the health of neighboring communities.
The electrification project installs technologies that prevent idling by providing drivers options to heat, cool, and power their basic necessities without needing to run their engines. GBTA’s contribution offsets a portion of emissions related to GBTA Convention in San Diego, while also paving the way for greener transport and freight for GBTA Convention 2023 in Dallas. You can learn more about our efforts to green 2022 Convention in San Diego here.
Now that we have a benchmark, we can continue to measure and track our progress to reduce our environmental impact. With the help of our suppliers, vendors, and partners, GBTA is on a journey to make Convention 2023 as green as possible. Read more about our detailed sustainability initiatives below.
Click to learn more about how we...
Measure
- Calculating the carbon emissions related to Convention
Decarbonize
Transport
- Travel to Convention: Encouraging all staff to book direct flights, in economy class, where possible
- During Convention, encouraging staff and attendees to walk, seek out hybrid or electric vehicle options, or utilize public transport
- During travel to and from Convention, encourage staff and attendees to utilize public transport or green options
- Offering shuttle routes for attendees and detailed shuttle info to drive usage
Reduce Waste
Materials
- Encouraging recycling of signage/stands/other materials
- Providing an option for exhibitors to donate used materials to a local charity via the Convention Center’s Good Neighbor program
- Eliminating Expo aisle carpet
- Electronic proofing of badges prior to printing onsite
- Providing recycling/composting bins in various locations throughout the Convention
- Increasing use of the GBTA mobile app, and utilizing electronic mail for marketing and communication purposes
Food & Beverage
- Donating excess edible food to local charities via the Convention Center’s Good Neighbor program
- Offering compostable utensils
- Collecting used cooking oil for conversion to bio-fuel
Regenerate
- Offsetting event emissions and staff travel
Engage & Mobilize
- Using suppliers with sustainable policies/practices in place
- Hosting educational sessions to help travel buyers and suppliers learn about sustainable solutions
- Offering a quiz for attendees to learn about GBTA’s sustainability efforts in an interactive way
- Building one-stop-shop for sustainability in the attendee app
- Utilizing a Green Ribbon to encourage attendees to commit to reducing their emissions and waste during Convention
Learn more about the greening efforts of our event partners
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center DallasWHERE IS THIS YEAR’S GBTA CONVENTION 2023 LOCATED?
