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This special logo identifies the initiatives and practices that are part of our commitment to global stewardship.

The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center is an official member of The Green Meetings Council.

According to the Green Meetings Industry Council, a green meeting “incorporates environmental considerations throughout all stages of the meeting in order to minimize the negative impact on the environment.”  The RRB/ITC‘s ReSOLVE (Resource-efficient, Sustainable, Organic, Leading, and Visionary Events)  initiative integrates our environmental stewardship with sound business practices.  As a result, we can offer our clients a green, cost-effective meeting that reflects our extremely high quality and service standards.

It took several months of research, strategizing, and planning to develop our ReSolve initiative. The primary objective was to transcend using “sustainability” and “green” as mere buzzwords and, instead, establish tangible processes that are enduring, specific, and measurable.

Research has shown that during a typical five-day conference, 2,500 attendees may use 62,500 plates, 87,500 napkins, 75,000 glasses or cups and 90,000 bottles or cans.  This grim reality has prompted many planners and venues to pursue the same goal—sustainable events. (The term sustainability is being used increasingly within the event industry to refer to the environmental, social, and economic impact caused by an event.)

The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center ReSOLVEs to be “green” by:

• Offering environmentally-responsible alternatives to help reduce the amount of waste that results from meeting activities.

• Using china, glassware, and flatware to minimize our reliance on single-use products.

• Customarily using cloth dinner napkins.  On the rare occasions when we must use paper napkins, we use those made from recycled materials.

• Frequently reusing table linens and skirting for multiple day events. This enables us to significantly reduce our water consumption.

• Incorporating organic and local ingredients into our menus.

• Donating unused food to the DC Central Kitchen, a local food bank that runs a food recycling program to combat hunger in the nation’s capital.

• Offering complimentary filtered drinking water served in pitchers as an alternative to serving bottled drinking water in our meeting rooms.

• Purchasing many of our condiments in bulk.

• Using only “green” cleaning products.

• Following economically and environmentally friendly landscaping practices.

• Using recycled carpet wherever possible and ensuring our discarded carpet is recycled.

• Encouraging our employees to carpool, walk, bike, or use mass transit—and we can facilitate the use of mass transit for our clients and their guests.

Since the conference center is located in a federal building, we follow the disposal and recycling practices as mandated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.  For more information on GSA’s Green Initiatives, visit its Web site by clicking here.

Click here for a handy 12-year calendar featuring inspirational messages and tips on reducing your carbon footprint.