To Do

• Get someone from Florence to join this group - suggestions welcomed
• Sustainability chair/co-chair

• General information on greening a conference??

• investigate and priotize likely carbon cost of conference, eg.
• propose mitigation for each cost identified;

Green Ideas for CHI 2008

1. Transport - flights (see carbon counter http://www.carboncounter.org/offset-your-emissions/personal-calculator.aspx )
2. Hotels
3. Entertainment
4. Food
5. Give Aways and Conference materials
6. Virtual Conference
7. Green Convention Center
8. Other

1. Transport
   1. voluntary carbon offset on conference application form / added to conference costs. Terrapass.com is a reputable company that does offsetting
   2. a prize for most energy efficient means of transport to conference. If anyone wants to bike (or use some other type of unusual transport, hint, hint, Carl!) publicize it! Make an event of their arrival.
   3. Provide a bike valet where bicycylists can park their bike for free all day and maybe get it washed (JavaOne did this)
2. Hotel
   1. ask hotel to check electric bill the week before our conference and during our conference week and compare. See if we can save energy/water
   2. preferring venues that use green power
   3. preferring venues that use less disposable cutlery, plates, etc.
   4. encouraging conference attendees to use greener hotels (e.g., ones that allow guests to reuse a towel over multiple days)
   5. hotels that provide a paper bag for recycling in each room
   6. recycle bins around the conference venue
3. Green entertainment
   1. like an organised hike (see 2006 UPA hike http://bubbleinthedesert.blogspot.com/2006/06/upa-2006-hiking.html )
   2. Green gym
   3. cycle touring
4. Food
   1. use real dishware -- cups, plates, utensils, and even napkins -- that can be washed and reused
   2. cornstarch cup
   3. slow food campaign - might be appropriate in Italy
   4. preferring food that is locally sourced and sustainably farmed
   5. emphasis on vegetarian food, water over soda,
   6. give unused food to local homeless shelter (JavaOne did this)
5. Giveaways and Conference Materials
   1. printed proceedings? Perhaps skip it, download only?? CD only? print proceedings on bag?(!)
      1. allow course attendees to elect to get their course notes on cd or online instead of printed ones
   2. eco conference bag
      1. Freitag conference bags
      2. offer pre-reg opt out for those conference bags. lord knows I'm not using mine.
      3. printing proceedings on thinner paper to reduce total paper volume
      4. print proceedings on paper so thin it can be reused as paper towels before its ultimate demise
      5. print the conference proceedings ON the conference bag :)
      6. print proceedings on a tote that is designed to also function as a shopping bag for groceries in its post-proceeding life
      7. conference bags that can be used in future CHI conferences; a sticker or badge can be made for each conference year to stick on the bag
      8. let attendees know, at the time that they pick up their bag, that they can give it back at the end of the conference so that it can be donated to an charity in Kenya (thank you, Jeff Johnson!)
   3. reuse conference badge holders
   4. bins onsite for recycling badges and conference materials (proceedings, course notes, etc.)
   5. utensils that come in a cool compact, foldable kit that can be given out and used at the conference and afterwards
6. Virtual Conference
   1. Provide a virtual, concurrent conference in Silicon Valley and other popular locales. Get Cisco or another company to donate their wide screens to give a better simulation of being there in person
   2. Host the conference on Second Life
7. Green Convention Center
   1. Use a certified green convention center which already has green processes in place
8. Other
   1. Plant a tree for each attendee via Arbor Day Foundation or another organization
   2. A gallery of eco-art at the conference. Show Chris Jordan's photography. www.chrisjordan.com
   3. Trash haulers -- people at the conference that carry the waste that they generate at the conference around with them
   4. Prizes for the most "green" attendees -- those whose impact on the planet was the most minimal during the conference. We could really have fun with this and give out prizes at the closing plenary or at another public forum. People might come up with some really creative ideas!