At MPA, it is our intention to make our business as environmentally friendly as possible by producing sustainable events, conducting business environmental integrity, and using the earth’s resources responsibly.
We believe that good business and sustainability are not mutually exclusive and we recognize that greater and greater numbers of our attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors believe this, too. Moving our office operations and our events towards sustainability is an evolving process that we are working toward and improving on every year.
We work with our staff, vendors and clients to rethink, reduce, reuse and recycle. Whenever possible, we take measures to reduce waste, use environmentally responsible products and contribute positively to conservation and host communities.
We have adopted the following practices to enable our shared vision of a sustainable future.
TO RETHINK, WE EDUCATE…
- Our staff to be responsible, green citizens
- Our clients to adopt more sustainable practices at their events
- Our exhibitors to purchase more sustainable options for booth decorating, literature use, and promotional products
- Our vendors of our goal to reduce waste and energy consumption from year-to-year and event-to-event
- Encourage our event centers and vendors to offer locally-supplied and organic food options
TO REDUCE, WE…
- Use energy and water sparingly
- Repair equipment first and consider environmental impact as part of our purchasing process
- Use Energy Star, EPEAT and GreenSeal to inform our purchasing decisions
- Use duplex printing whenever possible
- Use multi-functional devices (for faxing, printing and copying) to reduce energy and paper usage
- Solely use digital photography for the production of marketing materials
- Energy Use Policy that establishes procedures to eliminate energy waste through inefficiency or casualness. We also monitor our consumption of energy over time to continue to fine tune our efforts
- Encourage the use of water dispensers rather than bottled water at our events
- Reuse signs from event year to event year whenever possible
- Use both sides of signboards for any swap-out changes
- Minimize our paper consumption by increasing our use of e-technologies such as:
- Online Registration and Reports
- Online Exhibitor Manuals
- Online paper Submission and Review
- Online proceedings and DVD Proceedings
- Online workgroup review for sign-off on promotional pieces
This greatly reduces the amount of paper used in hard-copy correspondence, envelopes and letters. Processing information electronically is also much more energy and carbon efficient than physically sending hard copies.
- Reduce the number and amount of printed promotional pieces by increasing our Web 2.0 outreach reach and fine tuning our mail list development
- Encourage catering and hotel food service to offer china or compostable food service items for hospitality functions.
- Encourage the use of public transportation or carpooling to attend our events
TO RECYCLE, WE…
- Only purchase recycled printing paper and re-recycle what we don’t use
- Make glass, plastics and aluminum recycling bins easily accessible in the communal areas in our office and at our events
- Recycle our old computers and printer cartridges with responsible e-waste collectors
- Recycle or reuse all of our incoming packaging materials (cardboard, polystyrene/cereal based beads, shredded paper, air bags, etc.)
- Work with event centers and vendors to donate leftover food to shelters whenever possible
- Seek attendee giveaways and awards that are made from recycled material
STEWARDSHIP
Our staff Green Team monitors and improves our efforts
We are committed to engaging in the evolving dialogue and technologies that enhance sustainably
We proudly develop and implement bi-annual community outreach projects
