SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

PREPARED FOR

Guylaine Desmarais, Québec Building Envelope Council

BY

Philippe Lanthier, project manager Takt-etik

June 19

th

T

ABLE

O

F

C

ONTENTS

1 Event History 3

2 The eco-advisor’s role during the event 4

3 Review of sustainable measures implemented 4

3.1 Accompaniment prior to the event 4

3.2 During the event 6

3.3 Food services 6

3.4 After the event 7

4 Presentation of results 8

4.1 Waste audit 8

4.2 Green house gas (GHG) offsetting 9

4.3 Environmental Impact of the conference 12

5 Event Strengths 13

6 Opportunities for improvement in future events 15

1

E

VENT

H

ISTORY

As part of the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, the Quebec Building Envelope Council (QBEC) sought to organize a sustainable event at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. This nationally recognized event took place from May 6th to 8th 2009 and welcomed over 350 people in the building envelope industry from Canada, the United States but also from Europe (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Scotland) and New Zealand. The event organizers have taken the initiative to aim for the event to be both zero waste and carbon neutral in order to reduce the event’s environmental footprint. These two objectives are as follows:

•

Zero Waste. This first goal seeks to bring the organizers to focus on waste management during the planning and operating phases of the event in order to reduce, reuse and recycle where appropriate. However, for an event to be designated "sustainable", it must also intend to bring about sizable social and economic benefits and reduce its other environmental impacts.

•

Carbon neutral. The second goal brings the event organizers to better understand their contribution to climate change. In order to have an event be considered carbon neutral, organizers must first find ways to reduce green house gas (GHG) emissions by finding appropriate transportation solutions, reducing energy consumption and composting food wastes. After having found ways to reduce GHG emissions, organizers must then calculate the total amount of GHGs their event will generate in order to adequately compensate for these emissions. The QBEC organizing committee has decided to plant trees with the Carbone Boréal project. This compensation will support research on carbon sequestration with the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi.

This report will identify the main sustainable event actions that have been undertaken by the QBEC organizing committee before and during the event. It is important to acknowledge that the success of a sustainable event is largely determined before the event takes place, by reducing at the source, by taking coherent decisions and by educating and empowering participants to make a difference.

This report also provides a statistical breakdown of the conference’s sustainability performance concerning GHG emissions, recycling, composting and landfill-bound waste. These statistics will enable the event organizers to assess current performance and establish objectives for future events. Furthermore, a final section will present some of the best practices realized during the

event and recommendations will highlight opportunities for the CCSTB to improve and move forward on the path toward sustainability.

2

T

HE ECO

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ADVISOR

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S ROLE DURING THE EVENT

By working to achieve both zero waste and carbon neutral goals for its conference at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, le QBEC confirmed its desire to reduce the event’s impact on the environment.

The eco-advisor’s role was to accompany the event organizers, to assure the logistics and coordinate operations of a zero waste and carbon neutral event by applying the 4Rs. In practice, this involves rethinking our needs and the events organization in order to reduce waste production, reuse materials which can still be of use, recycle materials that are otherwise destined to landfills and composting of organic material (such as table scraps and paper hand towels).

Finally the eco-advisor has compiled all the data concerning green house gas emissions and waste production in order to present a detailed sustainability event report that will allow for future progress on the path toward sustainability.

3

R

EVIEW OF SUSTAINABLE MEASURES IMPLEMENTED

3.1 Accompaniment prior to the event

The organization of a sustainable event requires a better understanding of the different environmental and social impacts the event will generate. In a zero waste perspective, it is important to question all types of materials that will be used and subsequently the kind of waste the event will produce. The accompaniment serves to identify key areas of action.

In order to plan the sustainability aspects of the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, Takt-etik’s eco-advisor met with Mrs. Guylaine Desmarais, a member of the conference’s organizing committee. This initial meeting permitted to review the event’s organization as well as the initiatives already being pursued. An emphasis was placed on reduction at the source, GHG compensation and participant education and awareness. The organizing committee felt strongly about doing their best and their vision allowed for numerous initiatives to be put in place. The eco-advisor provided suggestions and solutions in addition to calculation tools with regard to the specific carbon neutral goals that had been set.

Here are the main sustainability measures adopted by the CCBST organizing committee prior to the event:

• A strong effort to reduce at source was applied to all facets of the organization;

• The quantity of paper used has been reduced by maximizing the use of electronic media and

equipment as well as double-sided printing;

• The CCBST website was developed to better communicate and share information on the

event. All scientific articles seen at the conference were made available to download after the event;

• Downloadable documents explaining sustainable events were made available on the website

for both exhibitors and participants. The purpose of these documents was to raise awareness and invite key event stakeholders to actively contribute to making the event more sustainable by adopting realistic and practical solutions;

• As a part of the conference, participants could choose to visit the Palais des congrès and the

Caisse de depot. This choice of venues engendered no further GHG emissions as they were within walking distance from the conference;

• The material given to the speakers and participants, such as the reusable bag, which

contained conference documentation, pens and notebooks were made and distributed in Quebec by Jordal, a local supplier. The conference bag, made out of recycled materials is both aesthetically pleasing and easily reusable. The pens and notebooks are made out of recycled and recyclable cardboard and plastic;

• The conference proceedings that were handed out to each participant were printed

double-sided on 100% recycled paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The conference proceedings and manual were printed by Transgraphique, a local supplier;

• All conference posters that were displayed on easels were made out of recycled cardboard; • Communication of sustainability initiatives to participants, including zero waste and carbon

neutral goals throughout the event, notably during the opening ceremony by QBEC chairman, Mario Goncalves;

• Preliminary sustainability report given by Takt-etik’s eco-advisor before the conference’s

closing remarks;

• Each and every exhibitor made use of reusable stands;

• The hotels proposed to delegates (Hyatt Regency and Embassy Suites) were within walking

distance of the Palais des congrès;

3.2 During the event

During the event, the eco-advisor collaborated with Palais des congrès’ team in order to ensure the supervision of operations. Here are the initiatives put in place during the event.

• Sorting, measurement and management of residual materials undertaken by Palais des

congrès staff during the event setup;

• Use of recycling stations in public areas;

Recycling stations – Source : Palais des Congrès

• Recycling bins adequately placed in each conference room and exhibitor hall in accordance

with needs;

• Use of the Palais des congrès’ electronic signage systems;

• Water fountains were available at all times in order to reduce consumption of plastic water

bottles;

• Composting of paper hand towels enabling the reduction of the amount of waste sent to

landfills;

3.3 Food services

During events, food services are often responsible for generating the greatest amount of waste. The conference offered breakfasts, coffee breaks, lunches and cocktails.

Here are some of the main measures undertaken with regard to food services :

• Choice of menus integrating as many regional products as possible;

• Use of reusable cutlery and tablecloth for the servicing of coffee breaks, buffets and the

cocktail.

• Water served in pitchers instead of plastic water bottles in food service areas and

conference rooms;

• Bulk distribution of milk, juice, butter and sugar; • Bulk service for jam, yogurt and tartinade; • Wooden stir sticks instead of plastic;

• Handling and sorting of compostable materials in the kitchen preparation zones; • Recycling and composting stations backstage to help catering staff to sort table scraps; • Food surplus redistributed to La Maison du Père, an organization that helps people in need;

3.4 After the event

Here are the actions that took place after the event:

• Sorting and management of recyclable materials generated as exhibitors took down their

kiosks;

Sorting of recyclable materials during and after the event – Source : Palais des Congrès • Measurement and weighting of all waste generated during the event;

• Recovery of cockades by the organizing committee. These NBEC-branded cockades will

be given to the organizing committee of the 13th CCBST so that they may be reused in future NBEC events.

• Calculation of green house gas emissions generated by the transportation of delegates and

participants. Compensation de green house gas emissions through the plantation of trees with the Carbone Boréal project;

4

P

RESENTATION OF RESULTS

4.1 Waste audit

The 12th CCBST generated a total of 749,5 kilograms of residual material throughout the three days of the event.

It is important to note that all recycling and composting operations imply a certain level of contamination that is difficult to measure accurately. What this means is that a small quantity of materials have made their way in the wrong bins because of sorting errors by participants or event staff.

Breakdown of residual materials collected

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12

th

_{Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology}

Materials

Weight (kg)

Percentage

Paper / Cardboard

179

24 %

Plastic / Glass / Metal

101,5

14 %

Compostable waste

168

22 %

Landfill-bound Waste

301

40 %

Total

749,5

100 %

Percentage of reclaimed and discarded waste

12

th

Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology

Destination Weight (kg) Percentage

Recovered materials (recycled or

composted)

431

60 %

Landfill-bound waste

301

40 %

The 1998-2008 Quebec waste management policy’s objective (ICI) : 80 %

Compostable materials, recyclable containers, paper and cardboard are all considered recovered materials, in that they are diverted from landfills. Through recycling and composting efforts, these materials have been recovered and sent to treatment facilities in order to allow them to be reintroduced into different industrial production cycles. The recyclable and compostable material recovery rate for the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology is at 60%. While this is a good result, it is nevertheless below to the target set by the Quebec waste management policy for 1998-2008 for the industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) sectors. In order to better grasp the event’s level of performance in waste management, it is appropriate to put these numbers in perspective. In its 2006 performance report, Recyc-Québec highlighted that the recycling rate for the ICI sector was at 49%2.

The results clearly show that landfill-bound waste is the most abundant type of waste generated by the event at 40%. This result highlights the importance of making efforts to reduce at source and find ways to generate less waste prior to the event.

4.2 Green house gas (GHG) offsetting

Important events such as the 12th CCBST, gathers professionals from every province in Canada and abroad. The transportation of these participants to the event generates a significant environmental impact by contributing to climate change. During the registration process, the conference delegates were asked where they came from and by which transportation method they had arrived. This information was compiled in order to calculate total GHG emissions specifically attributed to delegate transportation. The origins of the participants that didn’t answer the questions was known and their transportation methods were extrapolated from the average of those who did respond.

Green house gas emissions and offsetting

12

th

Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology

Number of participating delegates

350

Rate of response (number of delegates having answered questionnaire)

42 %

GHGs generated (in metric tons of CO2 equivalent)

77,92 t

Carbon offsetting cost (plantation of 584 trees)

2337 $

As indicated in the table above, the participants’ rate of response for the transportation questionnaire is only 42%. These questions were asked during the registration process and the organizors made the extra effort to remind participants a few times to answer the questions before the end of the conference.

In order to calculate total GHG emissions, Takt-etik used the Motorized transportation conversion table developed by the Eco-advising research chair at the University of Quebec in Chicoutimi (UQAC). A total of 77,92 metric tons of CO2 equivalent greenhouse gases were generated by the

transportation of participants to and from the event. This quantity of CO2 will be offset through the

plantation of 584 trees in partnership with the Carbone Boréal project. This tree plantation project will allow for carbon capture and will contribute to furthering long-term research on carbon sequestration with the UQAC. The plantation of these trees is verified by the Quebec Standards Bureau, an independent third party, using the ISO 14064-3 standard.

Breakdown of transportation methods used by delegates to the event

12

th

Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology

Transportation method

_participants

Number of

Percentage

Walk or bicycle

7

2 %

Public transportation (bus or subway)

47

14 %

Train

10

3 %

Car

126

36 %

Carpooling

43

12 %

Airplane

117

33 %

Total

350

100 %

NB. 200 participants (58%) did not answer the questionnaire. These participants’ transportation methods were extrapolated from the existing data.

Considering that this national-level conference had participants coming from as far as the Canadian west-coast, throughout the United States, Europe and even New-Zealand, the QBEC organizing committee anticipated that an important number of delegates would be travelling by airplane. It is very interesting to note that nearly a third of all participants (28%) used active and public transportation methods or decided to carpool to get to the event, which has had a significant impact on the quantity of GHGs generated. Takt-etik estimates that public (bus and subway) and active (on foot and bicycle) transportation methods have prevented the event’s carbon footprint from doubling.

4.3 Environmental Impact of the conference

12

th

Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology

Environmental category Impact

300 kg of waste was sent to a landfill. This is equivalent to 285 grams per person per day. According to the USEPA, the average conference participant generates about 10 kg per person per day.

The recycling process of paper and cardboard allows us to save water. Approximately 222 litres of water or an equivalent twelve 18,5 litre bottles are saved.

During three days leftover food at the event was redistributed to La Maison du Père. A total of 150 meals were redistributed.

The recycling of 40 kilograms of paper and cardboard allows us to save one tree. Apart from source reduction initiatives, the recycling done during the event alone will have allowed to save 5 trees from being cut down.

GHG Offsetting

A total of 78,12 tons of CO2 were generated as GHG

emissions through participant transportation. 2336 $ will be given to the Carbone Boréal project for the plantation of 584 trees in order to offset the GHG emissions generated.

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VENT

S

TRENGTHS

• Organizing committee’s commitment

During the planning of the 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology, the QBEC organizing committee deployed significant efforts to implement sustainable event initiatives. Many measures were set up prior to and during the conference in order to educate and empower participants to play a key part in reducing the event’s environmental impacts.

• Greenhouse gas offsetting

The greatest environmental impacts generated by an international conference are made through the emission of greenhouse gases resulting from participant transportation. Greenhouse gases are responsible for climate change, one of the most important challenges we face in this 21st century. The conference organizing committee chose to offset its carbon emissions with the

Carbone Boréal project by planting trees in order to sequester the emitted GHGs. This initiative fits perfectly with the event’s carbon neutral objectives as well as the sustainability theme embraced by the different conference speakers.

• Regional involvement and socio-economic benefits

Many key decisions regarding the event organization were taken in order to respect sustainability objectives, with an emphasis on creating positive local and social repercussions. For example, the majority of products and services purchased for the event came from suppliers within the greater Montreal region in order to support the local economy. Furthermore, the redistribution of meals in surplus to La Maison du Père, a non-profit organization helping people in need was made possible at the Palais des congrès.

• Environmentally friendly paper

The documentation given to participants was printed on Cascades’ Rolland Enviro 100 paper. This paper has some of the most environmentally friendly properties on the market as it contains 100% post consumer fiber, is certified Eco-logo and FSC in addition to being made through use of biogas. Furthermore, use of this paper allows us to save trees from cuts but also 20 000 liters of water per ton of paper and the energy equivalent of one liter of petrol per kilogram of paper (necessary for production and transportation purposes).

• Materiel given to participants

The participant was given a reusable bag as well as pens and notebooks that were made out of 100% recycled and recyclable materials. Also, conference speakers received gifts such as ice cider and maple syrup, high quality products crafted in Quebec that contribute to giving the event

a local flavor. These items reflected the organizing committee’s commitment to finding environmentally friendly solutions from local suppliers.

• Website

The 12th Canadian Conference on Building Science and Technology’s website was well established in order to inform participants on the event, the program and its partners. The welcome page had a section on the sustainable event theme that made available documents informing participants and exhibitors on the specific actions they could undertake. The website also made available downloadable press releases and documentation. The scientific articles and conference speakers’ presentations were also made available on the website after the event took place.

• Opening statements and preliminary sustainability report

The opening statement constitutes an excellent opportunity to inform and remind participants that the conference is organized as a sustainable event. During the opening ceremony, the organizing committee chairman Mario Goncalves underlined the efforts deployed to make the conference as sustainable as possible. Also, towards the end of the conference, Takt-etik’s eco-advisor gave conference participants a brief glimpse of the measures implemented and preliminary sustainable event results.

• Environmentally-friendly signs

The organizing committee placed a specific emphasis on making sure the communication tools and signage used during the event would fit with the sustainable event objectives they had set for themselves. The posters used for the conference at different areas in the Palais des congrès were made of recycled fiber instead of foamcore. Foamcore is a non-recyclable material that is frequently used for making posters of all kinds.

• Recovery of cockades

The cockades used by participants and exhibitors during the conference were recovered toward the end of the event. These cockades were designed specifically for the National Building Envelope Council and will be given to the organizing committee for reuse during the 13th CCBST and future NBEC events.

• Participant feedback

At the end of the 12th CCBST, participants were invited to fill out a questionnaire in which two questions dealt with the sustainable event aspects of the conference. One hundred people returned the questionnaire and among them 15 respondents supported the initiative and 13 of them formulated suggestions. One suggestion reiterated the importance of adequately sourcing

local produce for conference meals. Other suggestions include enabling videoconference access and giving access to conference documentation electronically or via USB keys to eliminate the printing of the manual and scientific articles. However, three participants mentioned that the organizing committee placed too much emphasis on the sustainability aspect. One participant felt that the 12th CCBST’s approach was too moralizing, while others believed that sustainable event initiatives were already standard practice and thus not news worthy.

6

O

PPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT IN FUTURE EVENTS

• Encourage participants to carpool

The conference’s carbon footprint demonstrates that 12% of the participants used carpooling as a transportation method to get to the Palais des congrès. However, many more participants travelled alone in their automobiles to attend the event. Carpooling allows for the reduction of GHG emissions related to transportation and may also greatly reduce of the cost of carbon offsetting after the event. In addition to these environmental benefits, carpooling can lead participants to meet new people and enrich their personal conference experience. More and more tools are made available online such as covoiturage.ca that make linkages and organizing carpooling initiatives much easier for big events.

• Food Surplus

Through efforts made by the catering staff, an important amount of leftover meals were redistributed to La Maison du Père, a non-profit organization. While it is often difficult to calculate the precise number of meals to prepare during major events, it is nevertheless important to make sure the right amount of food is served as this has environmental and financial ramifications.

• Online registration

One of the challenges facing the organizing committee during the registration process during the event was asking the transport-related questions to help determine the event’s carbon footprint. In future CCBST conferences, it would be far easier to include these questions in an online registration format. Many conferences have recently opted for online registration and do so many months in advance in order to start informing participants of their sustainable event objectives well ahead of time.

• Documents given to participants

As a part of their sustainable event efforts, the event organizers can choose to implement strategies to reduce consumption at the source. For this 12th CCBST, all participants received a

copy of the proceedings, printed on 350 pages of double-sided paper. Event planners can reduce significant printing costs by making better use of the website and making conference documents available and downloadable in electronic form. The tradition of handing out tangible and printed copies of the articles in a scientific conference will no doubt have to be revisited and debated by future event organizers.

• Sustainable event goal communication and participant awareness

Prior to the event, it is worthwhile to give the extra effort in communication and awareness of the sustainability goals you want to achieve. To reach the zero waste objective, event organizors must first establish a dialogue with participants, exhibitors and partners alike early on by inviting these key event stakeholders to play an active role. By repeatedly communicating our sustainable event goals, we allow participants to better understand the organizing committee’s decisions and help them to apply best practices throughout the event.

• Sorting of waste : why should we have a green brigade?

At the end of the event, the waste audit conducted by the Palais des congrès staff showed that a fair amount of recyclable materials were actually thrown in waste bins. This highlights the fact that despite proper signage, a few participants did not sort their waste by making an appropriate use of the recycling bins. The process of changing habits is a long one. We must therefore continue our efforts in awareness and education so that event participants adopt sound recycling practices and continue on the path toward sustainability. A green brigade can help to increase sustainability awareness during an event by interacting directly with participants.

7

CONCLUSION

AND

FINAL COMMENTS

To conclude, the Quebec Building Envelope Council has successfully organized a sustainable event which took into account sustainable development’s three pillars: economic viability, social development and the environment. This success is due in large part to the organizing committee’s determination as well as their willingness to innovate.

With a waste diversion rate of about 60%, it is important to recognize the level of participant collaboration, the efforts to reduce at source and the awareness initiatives established prior to the event. However, subsequent events will have to aim for greater waste management performance. This sustainability event report enables the organizing committee to share the information gathered throughout the conference with future NBEC event organizers in order for future events to improve upon what has been already achieved.

The challenges of making events more sustainable require a great deal of rethinking prior to the event taking place. By applying the 4Rs we can make significant changes in the way we organize events so that we may truly achieve our zero waste goals. This process involves engaging with key event stakeholders to find solutions that are economical as well as having positive social and environmental repercussions.

Finally, we must not neglect the carbon neutrality objective, which aims to reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions in order to mitigate the event’s impact on climate change, one of our greatest challenges in this 21st century. Because of delegate transportation, national conferences generate a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emissions. The actions we take today will stand as the heritage we will leave to future generations.

A word from the organizing committee

The 12th CCBST was the first conference organized by our team and also the first that worked specifically on event sustainability. The experience was enriching and demonstrates that with both ideas and commitment we can change and improve the environmental impacts of our activities. The key is to use the sustainable approach from the very first stages of event planning, set goals and persevere to improve upon them. We are satisfied with this first experience and believe that we have a solid and interesting foundation upon which future events will build upon. We thank Takt-etik for their support and their capacity to adapt to our team.