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2016 Winter Conference

2016 Winter Conference Green Meeting

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Protecting our environment and the planet is of fundamental importance to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and its members.  Our green meeting strategy aims to lighten our environmental impact by:

Meeting Materials

  • NACWA has significantly reduced printed materials for conferences, and prints only what is necessary to the success of the conference.  All information on the conference is available at www.nacwa.org/16winter. 
  • Materials that are printed for our meetings are printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper that is made with a minimum of 10% post consumer waste.
  • NACWA lanyards are made from 100% post consumer plastic, mostly plastic bottles. 
  • The sponsored Key Cards are made from a minimum of 20% post consumer plastic.
  • All NACWA Signage is made from reusable materials.  The NACWA Sponsorship Bio-Banner is made from the new revolutionary biodegradable PVC material.  When placed in a landfill, the Bio-Banner will literally vanish within 3-5 years unlike other vinyl banners that remain unchanged for decades.
  • NACWA staff also will be reducing paper usage as much as possible onsite, using ENERGY STAR certified computers and adopting other "green office" practices. 

Recycling of Materials

  • Recycling bins for bottles, paper, aluminum and glass are available in the hotel throughout meeting rooms, guest rooms and at breaks.
  • Following the conclusion of the meeting, be sure to stop by NACWA's registration desk to drop off your badge and lanyard – NACWA strives to recycle and reuse as many meeting materials as possible.

Other NACWA Meeting Policies

  • NACWA offers tap water at our conferences, so that we can all enjoy the product of our member's labors and reduce waste.

The Westin San Diego Hotel Environmental Policies

  • Each Hotel Department uses recycled paper for all printing and copying.
  • The Westin hotel uses low-flow toilets in all guestrooms.
  • Compact fluorescent light bulbs have been installed in all guestrooms, lobbies and hallways.
  • Grease trap oil is recycled to create bio-diesel.
  • Guest room drapes are kept closed to keep the sun from heating rooms in the summer months.
  • Meeting & guest rooms are kept at an efficient temperature unless in use.
  • Every area of The Westin hotel has recycling bins including our meeting rooms if requested by a group. They can provide rolling recycling "stations" in each meeting room that include a separate bin for paper, cans and waste.
  • The Westin Hotel building has the largest TES system of its kind on the West Coast. It freezes 100,000 gallons of water at night when electricity is the most inexpensive and then utilizes the frozen water to cool the hotel during peak daytime hours when energy costs are higher. This system saves the hotel an estimated $15,000-$18,000 per month in energy costs.