Saving energy while speading the news

By Michael Prager

It would be pretty laughable if the folks behind this weekend’s Down 2 Earth consumer expo were driving Hummers to and from the show, leaving the lights on all night and the heat on all day. But no, organizers say they’ve tried to practice what they’re presenting tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday at the Hynes Convention Center. Here’s some of what they’re doing:

* Offsetting the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere to provide electricity for the show by arranging with the Mass Energy Consumers Alliance to purchase renewable energy credits. They promote construction of renewable energy, such as wind turbines.

* Reducing and reusing around their office, by furnishing it with freecycled furniture (check out Freecycle.org), recycling waste paper with Earthworm, Inc., drinking coffee from reusable mugs, commuting via public transportation, on foot, and by bike, and contributing old yogurt containers to TerraCycle & Stonyfield Farm’s Yogurt Brigade, to become pots for plants.

* Committing individually to reducing her or his energy footprint — the amount of carbon dioxide expended in support of their lifestyles —by 5,000 pounds annually.

* Making it easy to get there by public transportation by holding it at the Hynes. The center also recycles aluminum, cardboard, food waste and grease, among other stuff, and was the first of its kind in the country to join WasteWise, the EPA’s water equivalent to the Energy Star Program.

* Serving appropriate food a smart way. Aramark, the food vendor, is working on a special menu for our eco-conscious attendees, including vegetarian options, locally grown fruits and vegetables, free range chicken, environmentally preferable fish, organic bread, and vegan desserts, all served in biodegradable packaging. And it will send food waste to local farms to be composted.

In the story I wrote for today’s Style section, organizers Lorelei Grazier and Betty Fulton say they were looking for a way to integrate their personal priorities with their professional pursuits, and considering that the show hasn’t even opened, they appear off to a good start.

(By Michael Prager, see more posts by him here)