No matter how many name badges are
recycled and paper handouts eliminated, a trade show or convention
still is going to have some negative environmental impact for one
basic reason: Nearly all of the exhibitor materials will have been
brought to the show by carbon dioxide-spewing trucks. So how does
one “green” something as essentially eco-unfriendly as
freight?
Chicago shipping firm EA Logistics has
an answer. Through its Delivered GrEAn program (www.deliveredgrean.com), EA donates “carbon offset”
monies to Carbonfund.org, which supports projects that reduce the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, such as reforestation.
The offsets are free, or at least, the program costs no more than
regular EA shipping rates, according to the company, and clients
receive receipts detailing how many metric tons of pollution were
offset.
Another green freight company to
consider is Seattle-based TransGroup Worldwide Logistics, which has
a similar carbon offset program, TransNeutral (www.transneutral.com).