CES touts green credentials

Well, a green tinge anyway

Iain Thomson, vnunet.com 07 Jan 2008

The 2008 Consumer Electronics Show is trying to be the greenest in history and wants to become one of the most eco-friendly conferences in the US.

All attendee literature is printed on recycled paper with soya-based ink, and all light bulbs, batteries and electronics used by the show will be recycled and diverted from landfills.

In addition 75 per cent of all food containers and utensils used by the Las Vegas Convention Center will be fully biodegradable, and all surplus food will be donated to the Las Vegas Rescue Mission.

"As the world's largest tradeshow for consumer technology, we are also the first tradeshow of our size to reduce our carbon footprint," said Gary Shapiro, president of the Consumer Electronics Association.

"We will do so by reducing energy consumption, increasing our recycling efforts, improving efficiency where possible, and making strides towards offsetting our unavoidable emissions.

"This industry has an opportunity to be a positive force for change and is integral to environmental solutions which ensure that future generations inherit a healthy planet."

However, with over 100,000 people expected to fly into Las Vegas, the overall carbon footprint of the show is huge.

Shapiro hopes to make a dent in this by offsetting 20,000 tons of carbon through a combination of certified renewable energy, reforestation and energy efficiency projects with Carbonfund.org.

"Kudos to the International CES for taking positive steps to help the environment," said Eric Carlson, executive director at Carbonfund.org.

"I am confident that our partnership with the Consumer Electronics Association will not only help to eliminate the carbon footprint of this event, but will be part of a wider commitment to promote simple carbon-saving changes that people can make in their daily lives when using electronics."

Carbonfund.org has become increasingly popular with technology companies. The organisation is helping Dell to offset its carbon emissions with the Plant a Tree for Me project.