RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
UNCONVENTIONAL USES FOR EVENT MATERIALS
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES
Traveling to conferences is about more than the event. Consider the venue. Finding events of interest that are held in conference centers that also care for the community makes your trip a better contribution to the place you visit.
What's
changing
From branded pens and wood pallets to leftover lunches and furniture, conferences and events generate a lot of trash. In fact, a 2014 report by Smash Hit Displays estimates that trade show attendees generate 600,000 tons of trash annually, or about 20 pounds per person.
What's already
possible
In Baltimore, Maryland, the “Diversion by Donation” program at the city’s convention center tackles this waste problem by linking unwanted materials and leftover food with city agencies, local non-profits and other organizations that could use them.
Seizing
the opportunity
Furniture, freebies, and other usable materials are redistributed to tool banks, city schools, community organizations tackling homelessness, and more. Cardboard, pallets, and other common packaging materials are diverted to organizations for recycling or reusing. Food waste is donated to charitable organizations via Feeding America’s “MealConnect” App.
Standout
tactic
If food is not able to be rescued, the center donates it to a nearby pig farm as feed. More than 6.5 tons of scraps were diverted as livestock feed in 2022.
How
it helps
In 2023, the conference center diverted nearly 300 tons of event waste from landfills, which is almost 40% of all garbage generated at the venue.This included about 24 tons of material donations, over 50 tons of food, 7 tons of animal feed, 61 tons of scrap metal, and more than 47 tons of cardboard bales. Donations from one event with a higher than average diversion rate saved its partner organizations an estimated 17,500 U.S. dollars in costs that would have been associated with purchasing the materials themselves.
Diving
deeper
How can venues ensure programs like “Diversion by Donation” encourage more sustainable practices within the meetings industry? Are venues at risk for perpetuating overconsumption by providing a convenient disposal outlet and potentially reducing the incentive for event organizers and attendees to minimize waste generation in the first place?
Increasing
impact
There are at least 40 conference centers in the United States that are equal in size or larger than the Baltimore Convention Center. The country’s biggest center is more than seven times as large. By adopting similarly extensive partnership programs, these venues could make massive positive impacts in their communities by not only curbing events’ carbon footprints associated with waste, but also by aiding in the financial stability of community organizations.
Traveling
better
Travel is inherently carbon intensive. Whether you are taking a mini-break or an annual vacation, consider ways to minimize your impact by staying longer in one place, reconsidering how you travel to the destination, and supporting businesses that are working to make their community and the world a better place.
