In addition to presenting a number of sessions on sustainable construction for the future at its Benefiting from Innovation conference at Surfers Paradise on 12-14 March, Construction Innovation aims to deliver a sustainable conference.
"By striving for a sustainable event, Construction Innovation and the conference venue will demonstrate their commitment to sustainable practices, while also increasing awareness and inspiring action in our industry on reducing carbon emissions," said CEO Dr Keith Hampson. "This forms an important part of our ongoing initiatives in sustainability for building and infrastructure."
Some of the initiatives that will be adopted to assist in reducing carbon emissions include:
- Educating delegates on efficient water and energy use
- Encouraging delegates to use public transport and to share transport wherever possible when travelling to and from conference venue
- Ensuring the venue and lighting specialists use energy-efficient lighting options wherever possible
- Minimising waste by, for example, providing delegates with a satchel made of 100% recycled post-industrial materials; limiting the number of paper-based handout materials; using recycled paper in handout materials and encouraging sponsors to do the same; providing Conference Proceedings and PPT presentations in electronic format; promoting the conference via electronic means, limiting the need for printed promotional materials; providing clearly labelled recycling bins; ensuring 100% of food products to be consumed during Conference are sourced from local and Australian producers (supporting Australian businesses and reducing transport emissions); selecting menu items that have the least environmental impact in their production; and by using water jugs and glasses in place of disposable water bottles.
The conference venue, Marriott Surfers Paradise Resort and Spa, has introduced policies to address waste and water management, recycling and water and energy consumption, and has been recognised for its efforts with several local and global environmental management and energy and water conservation awards.