Giving Back By Barbara Palmer

Take Away

Surplus Good

A new program at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center cuts waste while benefiting community programs.

It’s a dilemma familiar tomanyplanners at the end of a meeting or trade show: There’s no doubt that somebody coulduse the inevitable leftovers— conference bags, snacks, pens, notebooks, product samples, even furniture —but without the right contacts and a way to transport them locally, they go straight to recycling or the trash. The Boston Convention&Exhibition Center

(BCEC) has come up with a solution to this problem: the Conventions C.A.R.E (Community Assistance by Responsible Events) program, whichwas launched last April. The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA), which owns and operates theBCEC, systematically col-

exhibitions of organic and natural products, whose 2010 show was held at the BCECon Oct. 13–16. For Erica Stone, Expo East’s show manager,

working with local food banks to donate leftover food at the end of her event has always been a giv- en. But, Stone said, food makes up only a portion of what remains at the end of Expo East, which alsoshowcaseshealthandbeautyproducts, textiles, pet-food and pet-care products, and many other non-food items. The real beauty of Conventions C.A.R.E.,

Stone said, is thatMCCA’s network of relationships with local nonprofits allows it to accept a variety

There’s no doubt that somebody could use the inevitable show leftovers, but without the right contacts and a way to transport them locally, they go straight to recycling or to the trash.

lects nonperishable items at the end of exhibitions and meetings, sorts them, and arranges for them to be transported to a network of nonprofit organizations throughout the city. The Yankee Dental Congress, which brought

more than 26,000 dentists and dental-industry pro- fessionals and suppliers to Boston last January, served as a very successful pilot project for the pro- gram. The organization donated 8,400 show bags, 131 boxes of latex gloves, and 2,746 tooth- brushes to Conventions C.A.R.E.,which sent the items —with an estimated value of $8,000—to four local nonprofits. Since then, according to James Rooney, MCCA’s executive director, 19 more meetings and exhibitions have participated in Conventions C.A.R.E., donating more than 35 tons of goods. Included in that number are items donated by

exhibitors at the Boulder, Colo.–based Natural Products Expo East—one of the nation’s largest

of products. MCCA’s ability to distribute the products also is key, “sincewedon’t live nearwhere we produce the shows,” Stone said. “We leave town after the show.” In 2010, donations by Expo East’s 950

exhibitors topped 20 tons, and the show’s overall recyling diversion rate was 65 percent. Plus, Stone said, MCCA made it easy. During trade- showmove-outs,MCCAdistributes bright-blue bins to collect products. Convention-services partners pitch in and, if needed, help exhibitors move heavy items, said Rooney. MCCAprogram partners include Brede Expo-

sition Services, Champion Exposition Services, Freeman, GlobalExperience Specialists,JCALPRO Inc., andTeamsters Local 82. Theprogrammaybenew,Rooneynoted, but the philosophy behind it is not. At the BCEC, he said, “it’s always been our practice to contribute to our community.We just needed to organize it.”

ON_THE_WEB: For more information about the BCEC’s Conventions C.A.R.E. program, download a PDF of its donation flyer from the recent Yankee Dental Congress at http://bit.ly/gH8A9O.

30 pcma convene February 2011 ILLUSTRATION BY ROBERT HANSON

Saving That Stuff The Boston Conven- tion & Exhibition Center has an ongoing partnership with Save That Stuff (www. savethatstuff.com), a 20-year-old waste- management compa- ny that specializes in divertingmaterial away fromlandfills, including pallets, paper, and organic material,which it composts. All of this can be

muchmore stylish than it sounds. Last fall, Save That Stuff sent leftover banners from the NaturalProd- ucts Expo East to Newton North High School, in nearby Newton,Mass.,where students in a “green- gineering” program turned theminto tote and messenger bags.

Barbara Palmer is a senior editor of Convene.

Giving Back is sponsored by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, www.fairmont.com.