What's the Problem?

Waste Generation at Events

A 2006 study of 25 different venues and events in California indicated that on average 2.44 pounds of waste is generated per visitor, per day.

Recycling

186,400 of tons of recyclable paper is thrown away each year by residents in the Twin Cities metro area.

Every three months, Americans landfill enough aluminum to rebuild the entire United States commercial air fleet.  

Every year, $85 million worth of recyclables are thrown away in Minnesota.  It costs the State $45 million to disposing of those discarded recyclables

Food

Local Food:  A typical dinner travels over 1,500 miles before it's served.  Eating local food greatly reduces the consumption of fossil fuels and wasteful packing materials.

Food Waste:  Nearly 11% of non-residential waste consists of food and food-soiled paper.

Travel and Transportation

About 40 percent of all trips are shorter than two miles - a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute bike ride.

Lodging/Water

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the hotel community uses more than 180 billion gallons of water each year.

Helping the Economy

Recycling

In Minnesota, the recycling industry creates more than 19,000 jobs and creates $3.48 billion in gross economic activity every year. 

Local Food

According to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London, a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy.  Buying local food prevents money from leaving the community at every transaction.

Saving Money

Waste Reduction

Collecting name badge holders for reuse at an event of 1300 attendees can save nearly $1000.

Lodging

Typical exit signs cost $60 in energy costs per year per sign. Switching to a light-emitting diode (LED) only costs $1 per year.

Keycard technology can be used to control HVAC/Electricity.  Westin(r) Hotels and Resorts invested $120,000 in its keycard system for a 616-room hotel/convention center. The hotel recovered its investment through energy savings in just 10 months.

Saving Resources

Waste Reduction

Using reusable china rather than plastic disposables for meals served at a five day event with 2200 attendees can save approximately 1,890 pounds of plastic waste.

Recycling

Each ton of paper recycled saves 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy, and 7,000 gallons of water.

In 2006, plastic, metal, and glass recycling in the Twin Cities reduced air pollution by more than 335,000 tons and water pollution by more than 1,250 tons. 

Lodging/Water

Performing routine maintenance inspections of faucets and toilets can prevent water waste. According to the EPA, a faucet dripping at one drop per second wastes 2,700 gallons per year.   

Travel and Transportation

A short, four-mile round trip by bicycle keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.

Each year, public transportation use in the U.S. saves 1.4 billion gallons of gasoline. This represents almost 4 million gallons of gasoline per day.