Well, if you read  one of my recent blog entries, you may think I’m still on the sausage bent….not exactly. We, at eventologie, strive to keep the cycle “alive” even after our events are done and one of my favorite aspects from our recent event at Chase Field in Phoenix for our client, US Green Building Council, does relate back to a pig.

Our friend Chris Garcia, with Global Green Integrators, introduced us to Greg, Brandy and their family at Hoppin Hogs Farm who were the eager recipients of the over 1700 lbs of food scraps from the Welcome event. Knowing that their pigs and other animals at their friendly farm in Payson, Arizona were happily fed with pure food and not processed or antibiotic-filled products made us very happy as well. I think the picture of Red says it all though we did hear that even pigs are picky eaters too – all was eaten except for the onions. I guess he wanted to be “fresh” for his close up.

It’s amazing how much trash a person can generate when attending an event – it’s part of what contributes to the event industry’s rating of second most wasteful industry in the world. One person can leave behind up to 1.6 lbs of waste – pretty shocking. So, to properly and consciously take care of (dispose can be such a nasty word) of our trash from our recent event in Phoenix for USGBC including the food scraps, biodegradables and compostables, we had the tremendous pleasure to work with a great guy named Chris Garcia whose passion for trash is pretty infectious. Chris and his partner, Lisa Perez, co-founded Global Green Integrators (GGI). They  work with local Arizona groups to compost organic material; recycle plastic, aluminum, cardboard, paper, and glass; and to send food waste to a local rescue pig farm called Hoppin Hogs (more about them tomorrow).

Interesting stats: from pre-event set up through the event itself and breakdown, over 1469 lbs of biodegradables & compostables and more than 5243 lbs of food scraps were collected which totals to an astounding 6712 lbs combined. GGI sent the biodegradable and compostable materials to a local commercial composter and the food scraps were picked up by Hoppin Hogs Farm. Untouched, prepared food was donated to a local food bank.

If we all took the appropriate measures to properly take care of the waste we generate instead of just simply leaving it behind what a different world we’d all live in.

Thanks again Chris – our champion, our cheerleader, our friend.

Funny you ask…I actually had the chance to find out today on a visit to a local sausage factory in Phoenix. I definitely went on an adventure today that I truly never thought I’d experience. The nice folks at Shreiner’s Fine Sausage in Phoenix allowed me to come and check out their small, family run factory where they make around 80 different types of sausage…from traditional from Bratwurst, Italian and Polish offerings to Cajun French Andouille & Tasso, Portuguese Luinguisa, English Bangers and Spanish & Mexican Chorizo. For those a little pig-shy, they also sell low-fat turkey and chicken options. I actually got my hands dirty making some sweet italian sausage with my friends Spicy Man and Jason (pictured below). Nancy Schiller, the owner, is at the helm carrying on the tradition that was started by Hugo Schreiner in 1955. Nancy’s husband, Gary, started working for Mr. Schreiner at the age of 13 and bought the business from him at age 20. Nancy started working at Schreiner’s 30 years ago and runs the factory today in the ridiculously adorable red and white shop on 7th Street in Phoenix. If you’re ever in the area, their road side shop is a definite must and just ask Nancy to help you pick out the right sausage to tantalize your tastebuds. I apparently did alright with the sausage making because Nancy kindly offered me a job should I come back ’round these parts. I don’t even have to fill out an application. Thanks Nancy, Spicy Man and Jason – hope to see you all soon!

We wrapped at the OG 09 conference in LA last night and had a very inspiring time working with the various vendors helping to make the whole weekend come together. One of our particular faves, has been the guys who helped us plate it up, so to speak, for all of our breakfasts, breaks, lunches and parties. The generous folks at Verterra donated oodles and oodles of their super cool, eco-minded dinnerware. Their products are made from fallen palm leaves, steam, pressure and heat making it an all natural product, free of chemicals, lacquers and bonding agents. Their production is completely sustainable meaning no trees or plants are harmed in the making of these fabulous products and they are 100% biodegradable and BPI-certified compostable. Beyond the sustainable stats is just the pure style seen in their array of sizes, shapes and servingware options. Check them out at www.verterra.com and bug our pal Michael for even further info. He’s the best!

When planning an event out of town, you may not consider the accommodations an important part of ecotaining but, actually, the waste, water, energy produced while enjoying your stay can be immense. Many hotel chains offer eco options on how to cut down on your travel footprint including card key lighting, linen reuse, temperature control and plumbing that offers a water restriction that you may not even notice due to low volume toilets that are a great ways to conserve. Most hotel rooms have recycling bins that encourage you to throw your cans, plastic and paper there versus the main stream trash. We’re in prep for the OG conference starting tomorrow and are staying at Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles that even offers eco-friendly bath products in addition to the above.

Our favorite hotels whose sustainabiliy is super impressive are The Fairmont Copley Square Boston and The Willard Intercontinental Hotel D.C. If you want to stay at a completely green hotel on the West Coast, try out The Ambrose.

People’s 100 Most Beautiful, Mr. Blackwell’s Best-Dressed, The Top 10 best places to live – all enviable lists to be jotted down on. Not so fun – Mr. Blackwell’s Worst Dressed, The World’s Rudest Cities, and apparently Forbes’ Most Toxic City which my home base, Atlanta, was just crowned.  Most I often talk about how the EPA rates the Event Industry as the second most wasteful in the world….not a list or a ranking you want to be on…and it’s the reason that we, at eventologie, focus on ecotaining – entertaining with a green foundation. Our goal to green the world, one party at a time, is because of horrifying, nauseating, terrifying statistics, lists and, of course, examples that we would like to help change. So, need a little nudge in the non-toxic direction? Check out the AJC article…

Forbes rates Atlanta ‘most toxic city’ in U.S.

So, we’re about to travel to two conferences and, when in the conference setting, so many times food options can be beyond unhealthy…more like heart attacks waiting to happen. At both Opportunity Green and Greenbuild, attendees are treated to food options that are locally sourced, farm raised and certified organic where possible. Yes, you can demand that your conference centers go beyond their comfort (food) zone and get more creative and in tune with local cuisine.

In Los Angeles, we’ve connected with an inspiring company called Organics to Go who will be providing lunch to attendees offering a delicious (compostable) boxed lunch option of assorted salads, wraps and veggies. Their innovative catering company & cafes can now be found in LA, Seattle, San Diego and Washington, D.C. and they strive to walk the talk of sustainability from the farms they use to the floors their guests walk on to their way to their counters. For more on what I mean, check their committment at http://www.organictogo.com/AboutSustainability.html.

In Phoenix, we’re excited to be working with the Chefs and tireless staff at Levy Restaurants for the Opening event for Greenbuild at Chase Field. Everyone’s come together to produce a locally-focused & sourced, baseball-themed menu. We’ll be blogging more next week about this awesome event as we have so many folks to tout from the local producers to the pig farm we’re composting to…stay tuned.