Lucy and Ethel Got Nothin' On Us

Yes, here we are in our most beautiful hairnets repackaging food at a recent “Food Bank Friday.” Each time we donate our time at the Food Bank, we are reminded of the famous scene on the old Lucy Show where Lucy and Ethel are packing chocolates and the conveyor belt keeps speeding up. It is a laugh out loud scene and so are our Food Bank Fridays.

Throughout the year, we work at the Oregon Food Bank packing food on a Friday afternoon. We invite all of our friends and colleagues in the local area to join us and usually have quite a few hospitality industry folks take advantage of the opportunity.
Whether packing carrots, beans, apples or onions we have silly, playful fun while giving back to our community. I am never quite sure if our crew or those we are helping enjoy it more. Especially the time we packed “Cheezy Noodles” and came away with LOTS of bright orange powder all over us.

After our shift, we take everyone out for refreshments at a local pub to thank the guests who joined us and continue the camaraderie. So, if you are in Portland, Oregon, on the afternoon of July 25th and look good in a hairnet, you are invited to join us!

Ready...Set...Offset

Today’s campfire story is about a huge international company. It seems the president of the firm announced one day the company would be carbon neutral in the near future. Walking the talk, they quickly implemented green meeting practices into their upcoming annual meeting—reducing and recycling wherever possible.

One important component for the organization was to offset carbon produced by both the participant travel and the energy required to hold the meeting. The participant travel was to be offset by individuals either by signing up on the website when registering or by signing up onsite at several kiosks. In the weeks before the event we had a minimal amount of interest.

During the Opening Session, the President presented his plan for the carbon neutral program. He said that immediately after the session he was going to a kiosk to sign up to offset his travel and get a little green sticker for his name badge. He challenged others to join him. As the session ended, the offset kiosks were hit hard with participants signing up and getting their sticker. It seems the little green sticker became a “badge of honor” in this very competitive group. Some folks were even asking if they could offset twice and get two or pay more and get a different color like gold or platinum. This was by far the highest percentage of travel offset we have ever seen. I guess looking good for the boss is still a motivator.

Note: I will be posting about carbon, determining your footprint, and offsetting options in the next few blogs, so stay tuned.

Give Man a Fish and He Will Sell You a Chilean Sea Bass

It’s time for another “campfire” story to share a funny experience in the world of green meetings.

I was meeting with the Chef in a New York City hotel to plan menus for a conference of 400 investment professionals. Reading through the options, I saw that Chilean Seabass was featured on the menu. From my trusty Seafood Watch guide, I know that Chilean Seabass is one to avoid (They are a slowgrowing fish that is prone to overfishing and have become so rare that 50% are caught illegally).

Concerned about this, I say to the Chef, “I see from your banquet menu that you offer Chilean Seabass—one species that should be avoided especially when serving large numbers.”

He smiled slyly, looked around to make sure no one was there, and whispered to me, “Don’t worry, miss, it isn’t actually Chilean Seabass,”

Taken completely by surprise, I didn’t know what to say next. Should I be happy that he was lying to clients and not really serving the endangered Seabass? Or upset that he publicizes and charges for it while using a different fish? Was this “our little secret”?

Anyway you slice it, too slippery for me. Guess I’ll order the chicken. Wait, is it really chicken?

Hotter Than It Should Be

One year ago today, as members of the Live Earth Sustainability Expert Team, we were feverishly developing the “Green Guidelines for the Live Entertainment & Events Industry" for use in all eight concert venues. http://liveearth.org/docs/LEGreen_Guidelines_First_edition_final.pdf
Shortly thereafter, we began working to “green” the Giants Stadium venue in New Jersey for the 07/07/07 Live Earth Concert Series. The process was a bit like Jane Goodall meets The Sopranos. With a combination of education, resources, and sheer tenacity, we convinced the Giants Stadium management team, cleaning company, parking lot crew, multiple caterers, and union folks that three streams of waste--recyclables, compost and other waste--could be separated by the audience (with the help of 800 volunteers—at least until The Police came on stage—but that’s another story). The Stadium crew became enrolled in the process and were champions for the cause right along side our team.

Three short months later on a hot, humid Saturday, we were all standing on the 50 yard line among over 51,000 screaming fans with the task of bringing recycling and composting to the largest, most complicated concert ever to take place at the Stadium. And by the way, we were told, “Al Gore will be here.” No pressure.

Thanks to the efforts of thousands of people who made a real difference, we were able to divert 76% of the waste from the landfill to recycling or compost. A sweet success!

It is spring once again and time to green this summer’s outdoor events. Where to start? Use the guidelines, ask vendors and sponsors to partner with you, enroll the artists and audience, and prepare to be amazed!

Seeing is Believing

Sharing experiences through stories is important to our learning and sense of community. Enjoy this “virtual campfire story” where I learned that seeing is believing…

Early on in learning how to implement green meeting practices, we were bringing a large conference to a convention center where we had requested (and been promised) recycling for the show.

During the precon, we asked about the recycling and the facility said the bins were being marked and would be out soon. We then asked about the diversion rates and a series of other questions. The director of operations turned red and stared sputtering. He finally blurted out, “We don’t actually recycle.” I was shocked! Their plan was to put out the bins to make the clients happy and then throw the bags in the landfill.

Had I looked back-of-house during the site inspection I would have seen there was no area for recycling storage or pick up from the back dock, or an area for sorting. Nothing but a huge dumpster with everything in it. Lesson learned: ask to be shown the areas for recycling EARLY in the planning process.

Join Me by the Campfire

There are lots of great stories passed on by folks while sitting around a campfire reminiscing. As planners, we always like to share what went right, what went wrong, silly things that happen, and people we meet. I thought it might be fun to include posts from time to time telling campfire stories. So sit back and relax while I tell you about the time…

….we had ordered a conference breakfast that included yogurt for 300 guests. We asked for bulk service not individual plastic containers. The caterer was eager to comply and on the morning of the event, out came the yogurt in all its glory. Yes, sir, a huge vat of reddish-brown strawberry yogurt. No, not a vat, I would actually describe it more as a bath tub of the gooey stuff. Sitting there in the middle of the buffet table bigger than life itself. Few people were brave enough to take the plunge and scoop out a serving.

From that day forward when I ask for bulk yogurt, I make sure to ask for several serving dishes which can be kept cold and won’t intimidate my guests.

That’s my scary campfire story. Now we invite you to share yours!