The DNC did more than just talk trash at its 2024 convention in Chicago — organizers took action aimed at reducing the meeting’s carbon footprint and supporting sustainability locally.
Organizers of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) were committed to living their party’s commitment to sustainability at this year’s convention. This was no small task, with more than 50,000 attendees flocking to the DNC convention in Chicago last week. But the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC), along with the Chicago 2024 Host Committee and two local sustainability advisors — Bright Beat and Purpose — came up with a plan, outlined in a sustainability guide, to offset carbon emissions, rescue food and divert waste through both recycling and composting at the United Center and McCormick Place.
“Just as the Harris-Walz ticket and the Democratic Party are dedicated to protecting the environment, we showed this same commitment at the convention — before, during, and after this historic event,” said Emily Soong, Democratic National Convention Committee Press Secretary. “We worked with our sustainability advisors on a comprehensive and detailed approach to sustainability that gave back to the local community, combatted climate change, and set the bar for future conventions.”
Tackling Travel-Related Emissions
Because travel accounts for between 70% and 90% of event-related emissions, organizers provided guidance ahead of time on how potential attendees could lower their travel-related emissions. They also asked everyone who planned to attend, including not just delegates, journalists and volunteers but also protesters, to anonymously share their travel plans. Using those details, organizers planned to estimate the total travel-related emissions they would need to offset as part of their Travel Carbon Inset Initiative. That initiative asked attendees to consider adding a donation to Growing Home, a USDA-certified organic urban farm in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood, to fund local projects such as turning concrete lots into green spaces.
Power to the People
In addition to travel offsets, DNCC organizers brought in two temporary transformers and high-voltage power to supply the convention’s electricity needs straight from the regional utility, ComEd, rather than use the diesel-powered generators used to power past conventions. They also purchased renewable energy certificates and used power-down technologies to eliminate unnecessary power usage at primary DNCC venues.
Back to the Source
The guide also called for communicating material selection recommendations to vendors and suppliers, emphasizing the importance of digitizing and reusing materials, as well as sourcing them locally, minimizing trash that had to be sent to the landfill, and use local suppliers to reduce transportation-related emissions. This means that, instead of printouts and pamphlets, attendees scanned QR codes to get the latest press briefings and activity schedules.
As one example of the plan in action, in the United Center, organizers added recycling bins, dedicated staff and signage to increase the recycling rate. They also collected organic materials for composting.
Overall, the DNCC reported diverting 93,886 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions from landfills.
Finessing Food and Beverage
Venues and hotels also were encouraged to design menus that would minimize waste and emissions, including offering plant-based options, sourcing food locally — especially high-emission items such as coffee — use reusable or compostable dishes, cups and silverware, and ensure their seafood, coffee, tea and chocolate were ethically sourced and/or fair-trade–certified.
The DNCC, working with the city and other local partners, managed to donate more than 6,000 pounds of leftover food, as well as donate almost 15,000 meals to local churches and nonprofits.
Conserving Water
To help conserve water, the DNCC plan called for venues to incorporate water-saving and reuse strategies whenever possible, as well as promote use of low-flow fixtures and purchasing water restoration certificates to help offset unavoidable water use.
The DNCC reported that these measures resulted in saving more than 5.3 million gallons of water.
You May Also Be Interested In…
IMEX Releases Sustainability Report From 2023 Show
Caesars Entertainment Releases 2023 CSR Report
Stewardship–Not Just Management–of Destinations
