The Greening of Convention

January 11, 2012

For years, green blazers were worn throughout Convention week by NTA staff members. Now the blazers are gone, but the green remains.

During our week at Mandalay Bay, the host hotel for Convention ’11, we recycled 6,408 pounds of cardboard, paper, wood and metals. That represents 80 percent of what we collectively threw away! (Not all of the recycled material was placed in recycling bins; our trash was sorted for recyclables.)

While our rate of recycling is impressive, so is our rate of overall reduction: At our 2008 Convention in Pittsburgh, where attendance was comparable to last month’s event, we recycled 11,950 pounds of materials. The amount recycled in ’08 was nearly 50 percent higher than the total amount of trash generated in ’11.

"It’s gratifying that our efforts to recycle and reduce are paying off," said Jim Reddekopp Jr., NTA chairman. "Sustainability is one of NTA’s core values, and we can do a lot to help protect the planet when we travel to Convention."

Here’s the breakdown of Convention materials recycled last month in Las Vegas:

• Cardboard: 1,986 pounds
• Mixed Paper: 1,538 pounds
• Mixed Plastics: 1,410 pounds
• Wood: 1,346 pounds
• Mixed Metals: 96 pounds
• Aluminum: 32 pounds
• Total recycled: 6,408 pounds
• Nonrecycled waste: 1,602 pounds