March 11, 2008

DNCC ‘Green Team’ to Help Create Sustainable Event, Leave Denver and Democratic Party with Lasting Legacy

DENVER – In another move toward solidifying the 2008 Democratic National Convention’s place in history as the most environmentally-sustainable event of its kind to date, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today launched a series of “green” pages on its website at www.DemConvention.com. The new content highlights the DNCC’s efforts to design waste out of the Convention by applying sustainable planning principles to every decision in the lead-up to the four-day event. Through these pages and other means, the DNCC also aims to harness national and international attention around the Convention to educate the public on responsible individual life choices to reduce human impact on the environment. 

 “The Democratic Party has been a leader in addressing climate change, environmental preservation and the promotion of renewable energy use, and the ways we build and execute our Convention in Denver will mirror those same commitments, “ said Andrea Robinson, Director of Sustainability and Greening for the DNCC. “We aim to lead by example and identify opportunities, such as these web pages, to help educate the public as well as Convention attendees about making more sustainable choices in their own day-to-day activities.”

DemConvention.com now features a carbon calculator  to help Convention guests measure the carbon footprint generated by their individual trips to Denver. Additional components of the new green pages include an overview of the DNCC’s sustainable goals and objectives, a weekly innovative and easy “greening” tip, behind-the-scenes “Green Screen” video of the DNCC’s efforts to create a sustainable event and the latest news and information on the organization’s commitment to leave Denver and the Democratic Party with a lasting environmental legacy. The site also provides further detail about how the DNCC is incorporating sustainable principles into planning related to Convention events scheduled for the Pepsi Center and the Colorado Convention Center.

In addition to providing an online resource and educational tool focused on sustainability, the DNCC is assembling a “Green Team” to help meet the organization’s goal of a minimum 85 percent waste diversion rate at the Pepsi Center and the Colorado Convention Center. Robinson estimates needing the help of some 800 volunteers in various shifts to assist with greening assignments during Convention week. Some of the DNCC “Green Team” members are already working within the DNCC offices. The DNCC will continue to expand the team in the coming months by recruiting from local colleges, universities and the pool of volunteers who have already signed up with the Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee.

Launching the site’s new content marks the latest in the series of steps the DNCC has taken to ensure the 2008 Democratic National Convention is the most sustainably-produced Democratic Convention in American history. Since arriving in Denver, the DNCC chose an Energy Star office building for its headquarters; put its entire housing selection process online, saving an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 sheets of paper; hired the first ever Director of Greening for a Democratic Convention; required its Official Vehicle Provider to provide an entire fleet of fuel-efficient and alternative fuel vehicles; selected a transportation consultant who committed to offsetting its carbon footprint; and hired a construction manager that will use green building practices to prepare the Pepsi Center in Denver for the event. Just last week, the DNCC announced it had selected an Official Carbon Advisor to help measure the event’s carbon footprint – the first organization to ever hold that position.

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About the DNCC:

The 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee is the official arm of the Democratic National Committee responsible for planning and organizing the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
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