ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition Sustainability Story

Multiple venues participating in events at the 2023 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition have undertaken a range of impactful sustainability initiatives. Delve into the details below to learn about the collective efforts driving positive change.
 

2023 Post-Event Sustainability Stats from the Georgia World Congress Center

Diverted from Landfill:

• Compost:  2 tons 
• Recycling: 4.86 tons 

The amount of coffee the ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition consumed over its show days, was enough to put two people completely through the Change Please program.  

This provided vital services to two people who were experiencing homelessness--  got them through their barista training program, and got them placed in a permanent workforce situation along with temporary housing. 

ASAE had signage at each coffee station and a looped video with the dessert stations inside the exhibit hall, explaining all about their program and how the coffee we were purchasing was going towards such a great program.  

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GENERAL SERVICES CONTRACTOR & DECORATOR

ASAE signage and booth insert graphics are printed on recyclable material and separated from non-recyclable materials at the end of the conference.

Recycled carpeting provided for use inside the Expo. Post-show, all carpet is returned for reuse.

All metal structures are reused and recycled from event to event. At the end of their serviceable life, these elements are 100% recyclable.

Inventory props, counters, ribbon wall, and hanging sign frames are all reused and recycled from event to event.

SUSTAINABILITY STATIONS WITHIN THE EXPO HALL

Please visit one of the sustainability stations located within the ASAE Marketplace. Drop your Items at any of the four staffed stations, for appropriate distribution to compost, recycle, and waste.

Sponsored by:

GEORGIA WORLD CONGRESS CENTER (GWCC)

LEADERSHIP ENERGY IN DESIGN (LEED)

COMPOST AT THE GWCC

Waste Eliminator is a full-service waste management company that offers critical disposal, recycling, and environmental solutions. Waste Eliminator utilizes organic processing and depackaging facilities that allow the company to recycle or repurpose organic waste streams, including municipal wastewater and organic food products. In addition, Waste Eliminator blends these waste streams into nature-beneficial compost, fertilizer, and other soil amendments.

FOOD SERVICE/UTENSILS

Service material used at 2023 ASAE Annual Meeting & Exposition is commercially compostable. Items have been tested at our waste partner’s facility and have been compostable certified.

WMBE PARTNERS

Levy Restaurants is proud to partner with the following WMBE’s (women-owned or minority-owned business enterprise) to provide products and services:

• Angels in Paradise
• Atlanta's Finest
• Cater Deli Service LLC
• Engelman's Bakery
• Harrison Management Group
• Henya Direct
• High Roller Sushi
• Inhouspitality
• Nuchas
• Pie Imports
• Pita Hut
• Snack Attack
• The Martingson Group 
• Tropical Nut and Fruit
• Workforce Brokers

FOOD RESCUE PROGRAMS

One Heart Ministries
Our core values are to love God and to love all people. Missions include- Feeding the Homeless at Repairers of the Breech in Covington, GA, and Xtra Mile Food Pantry satellite locations at Milstead Baptist Church and Park Place Baptist Church in Lithonia, GA.

LIFE CHANGING COFFEE

GWCCA HONEYBEES

GWCCA’s downtown Atlanta campus is buzzing with three hives of its own, located in the pocket park at the corner of Northside Drive and Joseph Boone Blvd. The GWCCA’s 60,000-plus honeybees provide sweet treats for the in-house bakery and help to rebuild healthy bee populations in our community!

Learn more: gwcca.org/sustainability#03

OPENING CELEBRATION | Mercedes-Benz Stadium

MERCEDES-BENZ STADIUM SUSTAINABILITY

1. Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been dedicated to being a Zero Waste Stadium since its opening is 2017. In 2022 Mercedes-Benz Stadium became the first professional sports stadium to be TRUE certified at a Platinum Level.

2. “We set out to build a venue that would not only exceed expectations, but also push the limits of what was possible in terms of stadium design, fan experiences, and sustainability.” – Arthur Blank
3. First LEED Platinum certified sports stadium in the nation
4. ZERO WASTE – striving to divert 90+% of all waste
5. ENERGY – leveraging renewable energy resources
6. WATER – managing and conserving water usage
7. For every 3 million aluminum cans recycled at the stadium, one home is built on Atlanta’s Westside

Read an overview of Mercedes-Benz Stadium’s sustainability effort at mercedesbenzstadium.com/sustainability/.

THE CLASSIC | Wolfgang Puck Catering & Georgia Aquarium

WOLFGANG PUCK CATERING

Our guiding principle is to buy the best possible ingredients; collaborative and supportive relationships with farmers and suppliers are the cornerstone.

In addition to established personal farm and supplier relationships, we leverage our procurement system to support our sourcing strategy as follows:

1. Provide full traceability of products and suppliers within our approved supply chain to ensure that sustainable, ethical and safety standards meet our requirements.
2. Support sourcing, working with farmers and growers to use local and regional produce made, grown or reared to support local and regional requirements.
3. Work in partnership with our clients, suppliers and distributors to reduce the impact of our business on the environment.
4. Support fair trade farmers and their communities.
5. Cultivate supplier diversity.

Our teams also work to source compostable disposables, reducing the footprint of single-use plastics throughout our catering operations.

GEORGIA AQUARIUM

• Georgia Aquarium recycles 23 tons of waste annually.
• During marketing events, Georgia Aquarium uses sustainable bamboo products instead of plastic.
• The plastic utensils available for guest use in Café Aquaria are fully recyclable.
• Georgia Aquarium supplies all new employees with reusable straws and cutlery order to cut down on waste produced by staff and volunteers.
• 2019 and 2020 saw the installation of sixteen new water bottle refill stations for guest and staff use, which track how many single-use plastic bottles each unit has saved.
• During our expansion, strict practices minimizing dust, debris and moisture were required during construction. This improved the air quality during construction and long-term inside Georgia Aquarium.
• In our bathrooms, water conserving plumbing fixtures save about one million gallons of water annually. That is the same amount of water as our newest gallery, Sharks! Predators of the Deep!
• Georgia Aquarium’s large-scale filtration system includes multiple water recovery systems that serve as exhibit wastewater treatment plants. Exhibit water is collected, filtered and processed before returning to the habitat, allowing us to retain more than 99.5% of its water volume!

Learn more: georgiaaquarium.org/leed-green-building/

CLOSING CELEBRATION | LEGACY VENTURES

LEGACY VENTURES

Our goals:

• Reduce our consumption of energy in the building
• Reduce water consumption
• Reduce the amount of waste we generate
• Replace fluorescent light bulbs when and where possible
• No bottled water or single use containers
• Work closely with event planners to accurately estimate the amount of food required for the number of attendees

At the Closing Celebration, we will utilize compostable cups, plates and cutlery. In addition, our standard day-to-day operations include recycling cooking oils and sending spent grains from the micro-brewery to a local cattle farmer.

We also have ongoing improvements with our purchasing and use local when possible and we have more accurate purchasing to prevent waste and overproduction of food for events. We purchase compostable containers and offer straws on demand.