2011 GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference

February 24, 2011

Earlier this week Conference and Event Services team members Ana Kitchen and Lina Layiktez traveled to Portland, Oregon to attend the 2011 GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference. This event provided Ana and Lina with the knowledge to come back and put some insightful idea to work at UC Davis.

This year's GMIC Sustainable Meetings Conference featured a group of great speakers! The presentations by Richard Aaron from BizBash Media, Scott Hamlin from Looptworks, and Steven Ward from Doubletree Hotel Portland. These three speakers were able to hit three topics that were a must share for all our event planner out there!

Richard Aaron was able to talk about BizBash and about the trends and ideas that progressive event planners and designers are adopting in the planning of their projects. This segment was able to incorporate how decor, lighting, displays, floral and food have been renewed to fit into the green landscape. Here at UC Davis, we're always trying to make sure we're protecting the environment at our events, and after hearing Mr. Aaron's discussion on these ideas, we will be looking to implement some of the plans for decor, lighting, floral, and all the other event planning trends out there.

Scott Hamlin from Looptworks talked about how they up cycle pre-consumer excess materials into clothing and accessories for the urban/outdoor enthusiast. Mr. Hamlin focused on how being sustainable isn't just about recycling, but about reusing as well. It is important to remember that although we may not enjoy a certain product anymore, this doesn't mean that it isn't reusable. By reusing, we are able to reduce our waste significantly and spread the joy of our old materials that we no longer find useful for ourselves.

Last but not least, Ana and Lina attended the talk by Double Tree Portland Executive Chef Steven Ward. With a philosophy like F.L.O.S.S. (fresh, local, organic, seasonal, and sustainable), it was clear to see that even in the kitchen, professionals are looking for ways to help out the environment. By building relationships with local farmers, ranchers, and organic producers, Mr. Ward is able to build long last relationships in the community, and reduce waste by buying local; ultimately cutting down on carbon emissions, pesticides, and other hazardous materials found in our food.

After this great trip to Portland, OR, Ana and Lina have come back to the department with new and fresh ideas to spread to all of you great event planners out there! Being green is important to us, and we know it is important to all you readers out there as well. Keep an eye on our Blog and Facebook for more posts on great conferences we've attended and the latest tips and practices in the sustainability community. Plan Green!

Plan Green 2011: We Planned, We Attended, We Conquered

Thursday February 24, 2011

We planned, we attended, we conquered.

On Wednesday, February 16, 2011 we did it again! What did we do exactly you ask? Well once again local and regional businesses and caterers together took a step toward making our community a greener place. This year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase proved to be yet another step in a positive direction toward making UC Davis and all of its partners' businesses a greener place.

Sustainability is an issue that the world is tackling, and here in Davis, California that is no exception. Plan Green 2011 is a conference and tradeshow put on by UC Davis Conference and Event Services annually to promote the basic principles of R4 (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rebuy) and to promote establishing better sustainable practices for our businesses.

At this year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase we had six speakers: Molly Milner from Small Blue Planet Events and Consultanting, Tom Huetteman, Associate Director in the Waste Division of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Southwest Regional Office, Lin King, the Program Manager for the UC Davis Waste Reduction and Recycling Program under the Office of Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability, Andrew Larsen, art director for UC Davis Repro Graphics, Dean Parker, Executive Facilities Director of the Peppermill Spa Resort Casino, and last but not least, Danielle Lee, Sustainability Manager for UC Davis Dining Services. Each speaker touched on the different areas in the event planning industry that we can become more sustainable in. From facilities, recycling, printing, and more, each speaker was able to provide helpful tools for all of our great attendees to take back to their businesses and implement.

This year's tradeshow was a success once again, bringing organizations from as far as Long Beach and as locally as Downtown Davis. Vendors, caterers and attendees, chatted and snacked on some delicious food on what turned out to be rain free afternoon. The atmosphere of the tradeshow was pleasant again with all of the great vendors coming from as near as Downtown Davis to as far as Southern California. UC Davis CES would like to give a big thank you to all of our vendors and caterers this year and a special thank you to: UC Davis Repro Graphics, Ink Monkey Graphics, and Screaming Squeegee for being the 2011 Plan Green sponsors. *

Now that you all got the scoop on this year's Plan Green Conference and Vendor Showcase, we hope if you weren't able to make it this year, you make it out to the next one! And to all of those that participated this year, a big THANK YOU from CES, we couldn't make the event a success without you!

*Interested in partnering with UC Davis Conference and Event Services? Email Katrina Evans at kdevans@ucdavis.edu for more information!