Green Initiative

Reducing the Environmental Impact of Convergence

At Microsoft, environmental stewardship is important and integral to our business, and we are committed to helping make our events more environmentally friendly. The following are efforts that Microsoft is undertaking for Convergence 2008 – but we also need your help to make these efforts successful!

Green Meeting Initiatives

• All attendees will be given a reusable water bottle to fill at water cooler stations throughout the Convention Center. Biodegradable cups will also be available at each water cooler station.
• The majority of conference-created collateral will be printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper (processed chlorine-free) and printed with vegetable-based ink.
• All CommNet stations will be stocked with recycled paper.
• The fabric of the conference bag is made with 51% post-consumer recycled materials including water bottles and yogurt containers.
• The conference pen is manufactured with corn starch instead of petroleum and is 81% biodegradable.
• The conference badge lanyard is manufactured from 100% recycled soda and water bottles.
• Badge holders will be collected at the end of the event to be reused at future Microsoft Dynamics and Convergence events.
• The journal within the conference bag is made with 100% recycled chipboard cover, 100% post-consumer recycled writing paper, and printed with soy-based ink. The wire binding is made of 97% scrap metal with only 3% new steel.
• Evaluation prizes include t-shirts made with organic cotton and other solar-powered gadgets.
• The Conference Store will be stocking a variety of environmentally friendly merchandise.
• Air-conditioning/heating and lighting will be minimized during off-hours to minimize power consumption.
• The disposable plates and bowls used during certain meals are made of a biodegradable sugarcane by-product. Napkins, cups and other boxed containers are also made of biodegradable and recycled materials.
• Menus will incorporate a variety of locally-grown and organic ingredients. Left-over food will also be donated to Second Harvest, a local food bank.
• Convergence Sponsors & Exhibitors have been encouraged to help reduce waste by minimizing giveaways and collateral, using recycled materials where possible, and minimizing shipping and packaging needs.

What you can do to help

• Use your water bottle to help reduce plastic waste – by doing this we will save nearly 30,000 disposable bottles of water from the waste stream!
• Turn in your badge holder at the end of the event in the receptacles provided so that they can be reused at upcoming events.
• Actively use the recycling bins located throughout the Convention Center to recycle your paper, aluminum, glass and other waste.
• Use the free Convergence shuttles to transport between Convergence venues and hotels, versus renting individual cars.
• Refer to your “Personal Recycling Guide” in the back of the journal handed out in the attendee bag for additional recycling tips & ideas.

Additional notes: The Orange County Convention Center became the first convention center in the U.S. to become ISO 14001 Certified for its recycling program in early 2007. Other green projects at the Center include purchasing recycled products, using reclaimed water for landscaping irrigation, installing xeriscape plantings, using Green Seal certified cleaning products, and installing waterless urinals and low-flow faucets. It recently received a grant to install a one-megawatt rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) system which will be the largest PV system in the southeastern United States. For more information see http://www.occc.net.

For questions, comments or suggestions about these environmental efforts, please e-mail us at grnmeet@microsoft.com. We’d like to know your thoughts!