Boosters of business travel plan eco-convention

When it meets next week in Los Angeles, the largest business travel group on Earth will make its annual convention Earth-friendly. The National Business Travel Association's International Convention & Exposition will cut paper, recycle and reduce waste, use an energy-efficient convention center, and offset a portion of the carbon generated by the event.

The group of corporate travel managers also will hand out awards to members who influence their companies to lessen the environmental impact of business travel.

"NBTA has a longstanding commitment to serving the community through initiatives that are now known as CSR, or corporate social responsibility," said Kevin Maguire, NBTA president and CEO. "Based on input from our members, we are now expanding our efforts to create an industry CSR awards program and to make NBTA’s meetings eco-friendly."

This year’s event takes place July 27-30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The venue is currently applying for certification as LEED-EB, indicating that the existing building has been retrofitted for maximum energy conservation.

To create a more sustainable event, organizers will minimize paper handouts and use recycled paper when necessary, dispense attendee bags made of recycled materials, provide education materials through electronic download, and set out water coolers and recycling bins. Moreover, NBTA will donate unused food to local food banks and offset carbon produced by the convention with Cabonfund.org. A more detailed account of NBTA’s steps toward sustainability is available (.pdf).

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