Going Green

From the paper our registration program is printed on to the location we’ve chosen for the conference this year, AAHA and OVMA are making every effort to be as environmentally friendly as possible, down to the water cooler cups sponsored by Hill's Pet Nutrition. The Metro Toronto Convention Centre (MTCC), with its green roof, deep lake water-cooling system and comprehensive recycling program, is a signature host of environmentally friendly events. With more than 600,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space, the facility is a perfect host for the AAHA/OVMA Conference.

Last year at AAHA Long Beach, the Association offset 150 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions generated by its staff travel to the conference. These emissions are equivalent to the annual emissions of 28.7 passenger cars or the electricity use of 18.2 houses, or the carbon sequestered by 32 acres of mature pine forest growing for a year.

This year, AAHA and OVMA have made the commitment to offset our carbon emissions by supporting innovative projects in reforestation, renewable energy and energy efficiency through the Carbonfund, a leading nonprofit carbon offset provider. Our donation will counteract emissions for staff, leadership and speakers traveling to the AAHA/OVMA Conference – Toronto 2011. You have the opportunity to do the same. Use the flight calculator below to determine your offset donation based on your travel to Toronto, and offset your carbon footprint at carbonfund.org.

Go Green During Your Stay in Toronto

• Turn off any lights, TV, AC or heater when you leave your room
• Don’t have your towels and sheets replaced daily.
• Leave unopened hotel-supplied amenities like shampoo in the room. Take home the ones you’ve used, and take the empty ones home to recycle.
• Take only the brochures and tourist information you need. If you’ve taken more than you need, return extras to the display racks.
• Recycle bottles, cans, paper, etc.
• Pick up your free reusable water bottle at the registration desk
• Thank your hotel staff for embracing green practices.

AAHA and OVMA are committed to going green and to becoming an environmentally responsible company. As such, we’ve chosen Quad Graphics, an industry leader in this area, to print our program. Quad goes to these lengths to ensure that they meet strict Environmental Protection Agency standards:

• Uses renewable vegetable oil-based ink
• Selects paper-fiber that comes from well-managed forests
• Air emissions have been cut by 75% relative to production since 1989
• Recycles more than 98.6% of all solid waste leaving the facilities
• Uses advanced technologies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants
• Reduced annual energy consumption by 223 million kilowatt-hours, leading to a 19% reduction in energy use per printed page
• Retrofitted all lighting fixtures used in production areas to consume 50% less energy