USGBC Florida Gulfcoast Chapter Green Living Expo

Join us on October 24th for the US Green Building Coalition's Green Living Expo.

Presented by the USGBC, St. Petersburg College, Progress Energy and the Science Center of Pinellas, this Expo will feature speakers on topics related to living green.

This event will be held at the Science Center of Pinellas, located at 7701 22nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg , FL 33710 Phone: (727) 384-0027 (click here for map) from 10:00 - 3:00

Throughout the day, various educational sessions will be held. These 30-minute mini-classes will provide information from local experts on a variety of topics. Here is the program:

Session Start	Topic	Presenter
10:00	Florida’s Future; Climate Change and Coastal Communities	Mary Campbell UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension
10:30	Home Energy Savings and Financial Incentives	James Stevenson UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension
11:00	It’s Not Just About the Environment	Vestina F. Crayton UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension
11:00	Energy Efficiency	Steve Masi Progress Energy
11:30	Greening your home’s interior	Darren Brinkly Real Building
11:30	Rain Harvesting	Wilma Holley UF/IFAS Pinellas County Extension
12:30	Wading through the Mire(Tax credits and Incentives	Deborah Cerminaro Eldridge, Esq. St. Petersburg College
1:00	Rainwater Harvesting	Brian Gregson Rainwater Services
1:00	Cleaning Your Way to a Greener Life	Sarahpage Bauguss Babygirl Products
1:30	Micro-Irrigation & Greening your home’s exterior	Jo Reese Mister Landscaper
2:00	Saving Your Health and Your Planet With Your Purchases.	Mary Ann Bowie, FAICP Eco Trans Alliance

In addition to the educational sessions, local middle-school students will be displaying Sustainability Projects on: Personal Carbon Footprint Reduction, Carbon Sequestration, Water Conservation, Composting and Energy Conservation.

For more information, contact Deborah Eldridge (727) 341-3092 email: Eldridge.Deborah@spcollege.edu

Easy Tips to make your Meeting, Conference or Event More Green

By Mary Campbell, Pinellas County Extension Director, Urban Sustainability

Planning a meeting or event can be challenging. Look for ways to show your commitment to a better way of doing business through “green practices”. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Rather than sending paper invitations, send E-mail and/or set up a website. If you must use paper invitations, print them on recycled content paper.

Make a friendly announcement at the beginning of the program announcing all efforts to go Green and instructing attendees which items are recyclable and what bin each item should go in.

Make all copies two sided or offer any information and materials to those that request it via E-mail, DVD, or jump drive.

Provide recycling bins for paper, cans, and plastic in meeting rooms.

Do not use Styrofoam.

Provide wooden coffee stirrers and as apposed to plastic straw stirrers.

Use reusable name tags and provide a place to return them at the end of the meeting.

Offer beverages in containers that are reusable and serve water or other drinks in pitchers.

Include vegetarian meals, and have meals planned using local, seasonal produce.

Use china and linens to prevent waste; or use paper plates, napkins, cups, and utensils that are biodegradable or made from recycled material.

Instead of a buffet, offer plated entrees; this reduces the amount of wasted food.

Consider donating un-served food.

Offer snacks in bulk and not individually wrapped.

Serve food and snacks that require minimal serving containers.

Instead of individual packages of condiments (sugar, ketchup, cream, mustard, etc.), use a refillable pump condiment dispenser or recyclable containers.

Opt-out of offering straws.

Coordinate with the meeting venue to ensure that energy for lights and air conditioning will be turned off when rooms are not in use.

Purchase carbon offsets for attendees traveling to/from a conference or meeting (for example: carbonfund.org, terrapass.com).

Links:

US Environmental Protection Agency Green Meetings Initiative
EPA's "Greening Your Meetings and Conferences" page
Green Meeting Industry Council
MeetGreen
Bluegreen website for greening events and conferences