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Going Green Takes on National ConventionsTwo American Political Conventions Go Green
The upcoming U.S. national conventions are incorporating green practices, using green products and trying to conserve resources.
In the fall of 2008, both U.S. national conventions walk the walk and talk the talk – the green walk and talk that is. From stage design to office practices to “alternative means of communication”, planners of each convention in collaboration with the communities they are being held are helping to make the “greenest conventions in U.S. history”. The Dem ConventionThe Democratic National Convention will be held in Denver, Colorado August 25-29. According to www.america.gov, the convention goes green by building energy-efficient offices, running fuel-efficient transportation, and encouraging offsets of carbon dioxide emissions. The Convention Committee is also working with service providers such as The Pepsi Center (the stadium where the Dem’s convention will be held) to reduce waste generated at the Convention. Convention goers will be transported via hybrid vehicles or vehicles powered by biodiesel or alternative fuels. The 7-foot stage will reportedly be an enviro-friendly design. It will be mainly made of steel, wood and particleboard and painted with paints low in formaldehyde. When the convention is over, the stage will be dismantled and the steel will go to recyclers and the wood will be donated to companies that can resell it. The city of Denver is also supporting the go green by setting up recycling centers, offering eco-friendly products such as natural hats, organic caps and natural spun tote bags as well as scheduling green events and providing a web site with green news and information. GOP Convention Goes G-R-E-E-NThe 2008 Republican National Convention will also be a green event. Conventional planners are incorporating the use of hybrid vehicles, have developed a paperless office system, and developing alternate means of communication mainly via the internet. The convention is scheduled for September 1-4 in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. The planning committee is also setting up offices using primarily recycled furnishings, using climate control for the offices, developing eco-friendly office procedures, turning off computers and equipment when not in use, recycling paper, cans and bottles and distributing news clips electronically. Both Minneapolis and Saint Paul have made the National Geographic Green Guide; employ extensive recycling programs and waste and litter reduction programs. Both cities are known for their high percentage of renewable biomass energy and for having buildings using green construction. Lots of Wind Power Planned for Both ConventionsExcel Energy will provide both conventions with donated wind energy – worth about $30,000. Excel will use power plants located in areas close to both convention centers. Conventional Green is UnconventionalIt is unconventional for both of the national conventions to take such extraordinary steps to preserve the cities and communities that they help thousands of people suddenly - and for a short time - converge upon. All of which lends credence to the long-term trend of green.
The copyright of the article Going Green Takes on National Conventions in Green/Simple Living is owned by Patricia Faulhaber. Permission to republish Going Green Takes on National Conventions in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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