Insight on Business

February 2014

Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/252322

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 16 of 70

12 | I nsIgh t • F e b r u a r y 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m UP FRONT R e g i o n a l R o u n d u p » 1 4 F a c e T i m e » 1 9 C o n n e c t i o n s » 2 2 "It was a great opportunity for us to see what Wisconsin businesses are doing and how important is sustainability for them." – Jaime Godoy, FVTC student from El Salvador When the 10th neW north summit convened at green Bay's radisson hotel and Conference Center in December, more than 650 people experienced the initial attempt to make the summit a "green" event. Championed by Joanne gorski, president of sustainable Insights, LLC and a member of new north's sustainability task Force, a team of planners worked to eliminate waste, cut energy usage, keep costs down, and generally minimize the effect of a large event on the environment. gorski, a former instructor in supply chain management and sustainability at Fox Valley technical College, is one of 29 people worldwide who are accredited professionals of the sustainable event Alliance, a nonprofit organization based in Australia that uses the Iso 20121 standard for sustainable events. "People here in our region aren't really used to paying attention about how they manage their waste – especially when they leave the home," gorski says. "e ePA did a report that shows when people leave home, they generate five times more garbage. It's because we are more of a disposable society now, but also there's not enough sorting of waste. If you go to a gas station, for example, how oen do you see recycling receptacles?" B y R i c h R e d m a n How green is my meeting? 2013 Summit introduces 'event-greening' to New North "We asked ourselves 'what are the significant environmental aspects of the event, and how can we minimize them?'" gorski adds. "We looked at end-of-life issues (for products), for example. When you are done with something, can it be recycled, or will it have to be disposed of in a landfill?" e team worked with radisson staff to create a solid-waste management plan, which included managing an extra waste stream – the compost stream – and the weighing of that waste. "We had to bring in more bins and position them strategically to make it easy for people," gorski says. "every time you had one bin, you needed three: trash, compost, and recycle." "is goes hand in hand with the radisson's corporate 'responsible Business' initiative," says steve ninham, the radisson's general manager. "It helped set a tone for changing the way people think." Students from Central American countries studying environmental technology at Fox Valley Technical College helped develop the plan to make the New North Summit more "green." Some also volunteered at the event. J A C K I E B O Y D P H O T O G R A P H Y

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Insight on Business - February 2014