green day guidelines......at the event, please do not use:

Plastic bags (ie grocery bags)

Styrofoam

Please limit the use of plastic water bottles. There will be water stations throughout the festival.

The following pages will give you information about why we are rethinking these items, and share suggestions for greener living.

Enjoy Green Day!

Marketing:Green marketing practices set the tone of sustainability for the event. There are some easy ways to market green:• Use E-communication whenever possible (ie this guide will not

be printed, just emailed)• If using print material use paper with minimum 30% post

consumer content and no chlorine bleach• Use both sides of the paper when printing• Minimize promotional materials.

Deep Green thought:The footprint of print material is not only the trees used for the paper, but also fossil fuels used to cut and transport the trees, manufacture the paper and ship it. Deeper green:Then theres the environmental pollution from paper manufacturing. Deepest green:Cutting down forests for paper impacts wildlife- the birds and animals are displaced and their food sources are eliminated as their habitat is destroyed.

Doing business-booths, sales and services:

• Use cloth or other reusable material for table covering• Avoid disposable decorations. Create decorations that are reusable,

compostable or can be donated for others to use.• Create materials that are not event specific so they can be reused at other

events• Choose biodegradable packaging.• Packaging of items should not contain PVC, a carcinogen.• Where recycling systems for packaging are not in place, concentrate on

ensuring packaging is minimized to the best extent possible.• Plastic bags and styrofoam are not allowed to be used at Green Day 2015.

Deep Green thought:Plastic bags don't biodegrade, they photodegrade - breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest them.Deeper Green:Plastic bags cause over 100,000 sea turtle and other marine animal deaths every year when animals mistake them for food.Plastic bags are among the 12 items of debris most often found in coastal cleanups, according to the nonprofit Center for Marine Conservation.Nearly 90% of the debris in our oceans is plastic.Deepest Green:A plastic bag can take between 400 to 1,000 years to break down in the environment.

Food+drink• Whenever possible use seasonal/locally grown organic/cruelty free/ non-GMO /fair trade foods, beer, wine• Serve finger foods that dont need a utensil• Serve condiments in bulk containers• Avoid plastic coffee stirrers and straws• Use compostable or recyclable food containers, take out containers, utensils and cups. • If disposable items are essential, try to ensure they contain a high content of recycled or plant-based material, are recyclable, and appropriate recycling systems are in place. • Avoid the use of single use bottles for juice and water. • Paper products used for catering should have a high recycled content (ideally 100%) and be totally or elementary chlorine free (TCF or ECF). • Avoid single-serve containers for food and condiments (e.g., milk, cream, artificial sweeteners, butter, ketchup, vinegar, mustard, jams, salt, pepper, and breakfast cereals). Use bulk dispensers or jars also for water. • Provided appropriate recycling systems are in place, products should be supplied in re-usable or recyclable packaging or alternatively the supplier should take back all packaging and guarantee its recycling or reuse. • Ask suppliers to indicate what efforts they have taken to minimize packaging.

Deep Green thought:Americans produce enough Styrofoam cups every year to circle the earth 436 times. These cups are completely non-biodegradable, deplete the Earth’s ozone layer and waste landfill.Deeper Green:Even if disposables could be recycled or composted, the majority of their environmental impact occurs “upstream” – in manufacturing and transportation - before they’re even used.Deepest Green:Plastic cutlery is non-biodegradable, can leach toxic chemicals when handled improperly, and is widely used. Worldcentric.org estimates 40 billion plastic utensils are used every year in just the United States. The majority of these are thrown out after just one use.

resources

UN green meeting guide: https://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/Environment/Green_Meeting_Guide_WEB.pdfhttp://www.agreenerfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/GOOD_FOOD_stallholder_guide.pdf

http://ecoclub.com/library/epapers/15.pdf