RESPECT • ENJOY • PRESERVE

The goal of a reunion is to recognize past, present and future generations of a group. By planning a green reunion, we sustain our beautiful planet in respect for those before us, for the enjoyment of those with us, and to preserve it for the future generations to come.

The logo above signifies hotels, restaurants and other services that have green initiatives.  Be sure to look for this logo when planning your green reunion!

Why go Green?  Going green is becoming popular for a reason. By taking care of our environment, we help to create a safer, sustainable planet.  By making environmentally responsible choices a priority in our personal lives, especially part of our reunions, we set the standard for generations to come, in hopes that they will establish environmentally responsible habits.

 An added bonus of “going green” is that conservation saves materials, energy, resources, and money too!  The money you save on this year’s reunion might make next years reunion even better. Here are a few tips on how to green your reunion!

Planning

• When you begin to collect information from your guests about what they might like to do, consider using an online survey provider like www.surveymonkey.com or www.questionpro.com.
• When you set up a reunion bank account, use online banking, and opt-out on having paper statements sent to your home.
• If you have a “Reunion Committee,” consider conference calls rather than each member driving to a meeting place.
• Think about using an online planning tool, rather than a journal.  The more you can do on a computer, the less paper you will use!
• Pick one day to scout out all of your possible reunion venues, rather than taking many trips to the location.

Be Our Guest!

• When it’s time to send out invitations, consider online invitations or emails. That will surely cut down on the amount of paper used, and you can track your RSVP’s online!
• If you do send out paper invitations, consider a post card format on recycled paper, eliminating the need for envelopes.
• Some printing companies offer invitations and stationary embedded with seeds! Invited guests can grow flowers out of the invitations!
• If only some of your reunion guests have email, consider calling the ones who don’t.  Or, start up a phone tree!
• Facebook is a great way to stay in touch with people. Think about creating an “event” or “group” page to coordinate your reunion. You can keep track of who is coming, and members can contribute ideas.  Think of all the paper you will save!
• If you create a reunion web site, use a 100% solar powered web host. www.aiso.com
www.greenesthost.com www.dreamhost.com

How to Get Here

• If you have guests coming in from out of town, suggest a “time window” for their arrival before they schedule their flight. That way, you can make just one trip to the airport and cut down on fuel expense.
• If guests are driving, encourage them to carpool, or if there are enough people, rent a van or bus.
• Before you leave for your trip, make sure your tires are fully inflated, and think about using cruise control, both help to improve gas mileage.
• Driving the speed limit also helps to improve gas mileage.

Location, location, location!

• Going Green Hotel Initiatives:

  By funding various projects and programs, the hospitality business is making quite an impact on the future of energy conservation and environmental protection. Hotel corporations have invested time, money and research to find the most efficient methods of reducing fuel and water consumption, installing solar power, expanding recycling programs, engaging vendors to supply greener products, as well as inspiring and educating employees and guests to support environmental protection efforts at home, work and during travel. In their ongoing efforts to “go green”, hospitality corporations are now working with organizations to plant more trees on their properties, encourage smoke-free environments, make use of environmentally safe cleaning products, as well as global initiatives to save rainforests and wildlife abroad.

Intercontinental Hotels Group

• Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza, InterContinental Hotels

Marriott International, Inc.

• Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn by Marriott

Hilton Hospitality, Inc.

• Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Homewood Suites by Hilton, The Waldorf-Astoria Collection

Choice Hotels International

• Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn

Global Hyatt Corporation

• Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Resorts, Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt, Hyatt Place, Hyatt Summerfield Suites, Andaz

Wyndham Worldwide

• Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Ramada Worldwide, Days Inn, Super 8, Wingate, Baymont Inn & Suites, Microtell Inn & Suites, Hawthorne Suites, Howard Johnson, Travelodge, Knights Inn

Look for our green reunion logo when booking!

What to Eat?

• Buy local.  Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland are the source of so many delicious local foods. Maryland’s Farmers Markets
Maryland’s Farmers Markets
• Serve condiments in bulk containers; individual packages use more resources…and people usually use more than one anyway.
• If possible, reduce disposable plates and cutlery.
• If you have to use disposable, make sure they are recycled or can be composted. Make sure that you don’t use bleached paper plates made from virgin forests.
• If you use plastic utensils, buy heavy duty and re-wash for the next meal.
• Eliminate straws.

Reduce Waste

• Use well marked recycling bins at your event.
• Rent digital cameras …disposable cameras take up landfill space and contain harmful chemicals. By using digital cameras, there is no need to throw away developed pictures that don’t turn out, and you can put all the pictures on a web site like Flickr, to share!
•  If you have a dishwasher available, use it. A full dishwasher uses less than 1/3 of water than hand washing dishes.
• Use tap water or filtered tap water for drinking, instead of bottled water.
• Use products that are FSC Certified .
• Use non-toxic or natural cleaning products when cleaning up your event.
• Use Archival, acid free and process chlorine free (PCF) products. 30-100% PCW fiber.
• Use older or slightly used decorations.

Favors

• Seed packets
• Re-usable water bottles that can be used for the entire reunion, and then taken home (if this isn’t an option, encourage people to bring their own!)
• Make a donation to your favorite charity or non-profit on behalf of your group.
• Give out eco-friendly tote bags that can be used all weekend, and later on, for groceries too!
• Instead of decorating with cut flowers, use potted plants or flowers that guests can take home!
• Check out these Flip and Tumble Bags ;great for carrying around everyday, and they roll up into the size of a peach!  These bags are the perfect reunion favor!
• Want to print out Reunion T Shirts? Check out this eco-chic web site !

What to do

• Have a clothing swap!  Family is a great resource for hand-me-downs, so encourage everyone to bring gently used clothing that they don’t wear any more. Adults and Kids can participate, and have an afternoon of “shopping.”  It provides a nice opportunity to pass along memorabilia, and any clothes left over can be donated!
• Have a competition amongst guests to see who can most effectively reduce their energy bills the month before the reunion.
• Take some of your activities outdoors…with all of the beautiful parks in Prince George’s County , the options abound!
• Be sure to clean up after yourself and your group.  Bring plenty of trash bags, and separate recycling throughout the event so it doesn’t turn into a big job at the end.
• If you grill outside, be careful of harmful gasoline spills.  Think about using an electric or propane grill.

Kids Stuff

• Inspire the kids to help you go green with “earth friendly” foods! These “dirt cups” will be a sure hit at your reunion…just watch out for the worms that crawl beneath! Yummy Dirt Cups
• Recycle a few milk cartons that your family may have left over and help your kids create a bird-friendly feeder to give back to the wildlife. Milk Jug Bird Feeders
• Reuse your shoes! Don’t throw away old, dirty shoes! Use them as a pot to grow something beautiful. Recycled Shoe Flower Pot
• Ride bikes to the store together! Car emissions are a main source of environmentally harmful substances, so why not grab a basket or a reusable shopping bag and peddle against pollution? You can use the ride to teach your children about the impact of fossil fuels on the environment.
• Take your kids to your local farmer’s market to buy fresh, organic, locally grown fruits, vegetables and flowers for the reunion. They’ll learn to support their local farmers and they’ll appreciate how food gets from the farm to the dinner table. Visit the American Market at the National Harbor!
• Kid’s love to get their hands dirty. Think about planting trees or cleaning up a stream or park as part of your reunion.  This is a great way to bond and help out the environment…for free! Check around Prince George’s County for locations .

GREEN GLOSSARY

• FSC The Forest Stewardship Council certifies wood and wood products that are responsibly harvested and processed. The FSC logo identifies products which contain wood fiber from well-managed forests.  www.fscus.org
• SFI is a sustainable forestry certification program.  SFI promotes responsible forest management.  www.sfiprogram.org
• GREEN-E is a consumer protection program for the sale of renewable energy and greenhouse gas reductions in the retail market. www.green-e.org
• PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes)  promotes sustainably managed forests through independent third party certification.
• Recycled Symbol identifies products that contain 100% recycled content and products that contain a portion of recycled content.
• Carbon Neutral Logos refer to zero total carbon release brought about by balancing carbon released with carbon offset. 
• EPA Green Power Symbol The Green Power partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use.  www.epa.gov/greenpower/index.htm
• Green Seal Symbol provides certification standards that are credible and transparent and help consumers make environmentally responsible choices. www.greenseal.org
• Rainforest Alliance Certification ensures that goods and services were produced in compliance with strict guidelines protecting the environment, wildlife, workers and local communities. www.rainforest-alliance.org