MONTEREY, CALIF.—Portola Hotel & Spa, Monterey’s first U.S. Green Building Council LEED Certified Hotel, is offering meeting and event planners the opportunity to create sustainable and eco-friendly meetings with the addition of new Reduced Waste Conferences.
Located on the Monterey Peninsula and surrounded by the natural beauty of Northern California, Portola Hotel & Spa has always taken pride in the environment, making a conscious effort to support the green initiatives of the community in addition to implementing eco-friendly initiatives at the hotel.
“Reduced waste conferences are a great way to communicate to meeting attendees the importance to conserve natural resources,” says Janine Chicourrat, General Manager at Portola Hotel. “We partner with the meeting planners to implement a variety of green practices, and we are able to communicate to attendees how they can contribute. A great example of this is offering reusable aluminum can water bottles instead of plastic bottles. We host groups of over 1,000 attendees, so the reduction of plastic water bottles over a three-day event can be in excess of 4,000 bottles.”
Portola Hotel & Spa is dedicated to hosting successful and effective Reduced Waste Conferences and does so by requiring a commitment from the hotel, the meeting planners, and attendees of the conference.
Portola’s Reduced Waste Conference Commitment
- Create awareness about the Reduced Waste Conference to attendees through Passkey/Group Reservation System and key packets at check-in;
- Environmentally friendly vendor and exhibit company suggestions;
- Source organic and sustainable ingredients from local farmers and vendors throughout Monterey County and keep compost on the farm (reduces carbon footprint);
- Utilization of china, glassware, and silverware replacing the use of to-go cups;
- Track daily waste diverted by the Kitchen, Housekeeping, and Banquet departments;
- Composting of pre and post-consumer waste;
- Additional assistance provided by Banquets to separate recyclable and compostable materials from going to the landfill; and
- Post-meeting recap including waste diverted from landfill, list of local farmers and purveyors where food was sourced, and carbon footprint analysis to be provided via e-mail by the Catering & Conference Services Manager.
Meeting Planner’s Reduced Waste Conference Commitment
- Confirm menu selections with Catering & Conference Services Manager 14 days prior to conference start date to allow for proper selection and purchase of products;
- Use of biodegradable badges and conference materials or reuse badges offering an opportunity to return conference badge for future use;
- Use of audio-visual equipment for presentations opposed to printed handouts; and
Educate and encourage attendees to participate in sustainability practices while at the conference (reusable water bottles).
Reduced Waste Conferences are now available for meetings and events held at Portola Hotel & Spa for up to 900 attendees. For more information, visit www.portolahotel.com/green.
