Subscribe"As Denver prepares for an influx of tens of thousands of people in August, a partnership hopes to direct some of that traffic to a healthy direction — bicycles.
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee, Humana Inc. and Boulder-based Bikes Belong announced Wednesday that they will provide 1,000 bikes for use by residents, visitors and delegates during the convention. The plan is based on Humana's Freewheelin program that started in Louisville, Ky., in August 2007.
Mayor John Hickenlooper hailed the plan as a significant step towards creating an integrated transit system within the city.
The bikes can be borrowed at no cost, but will require advanced registration to participate. Though details are still being determined, planners said it may be as easy as checking in at the hotel desk or at the convention.
After the convention, 70 of the bikes will be donated to Denver as a start toward continuing the program..
Bikes Belong will be responsible for maintaining the fleet, with the assistance of technicians from the manufacturers, said Tim Blumenthal, executive director of the company.*
“Somebody alert Al Gore.
‘Republicans are committed to making next year’s nominating convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul the ‘greenest’ in party history. From transportation to venue selection to staff workspace — convention planners are working to implement the best environmental practices,’ Maria Cino noted yesterday.
She is president of the 2008 Republican National Convention, scheduled for Sept. 1-4. By then, the GOP better be green, green, green.
It could be a bilious green for some Republicans. Convention headquarters have been furnished with ‘recycled furnishings’ — which might have been called ‘used’ in a less-excruciating era. Recycled office supplies are a must, along with room-to-room climate control, which shuts down automatically at 5 p.m. every day to save energy. And all staffers ‘live within walking distance, or utilize public transportation to travel to work.’
News clips are distributed electronically to preserve paper, and employees are expected to utilize two-sided printing and recycle their paper, plus cans and bottles.
‘A greener convention will use fewer resources and leave a smaller footprint, showcase Minneapolis and Saint Paul as leaders in environmental preservation and sustainable development, and underscore the Republican Party’s commitment to responsible stewardship of the environment,’ Ms. Cino explained.”
"Not to be outdone by the Democratic convention, the Republican convention will, indeed, go green. While hosting divisive delegate debates over the best way to address environmental issues from a GOP perspective, the Minneapolis convention hall will boast recycled-fiber carpet, booths and stages constructed of local, sustainably harvested wood, water in petroleum-free bottles, biodegradable plates, composted food, non-plastic banners printed with soy-based inks, energy-efficient lighting, reduced paper, bicycles available for delegates to pedal to and from hotels, and, of course, an intent to make the event carbon neutral. As would only be expected, says the communications director of the GOP Convention Committee on Arrangements: 'Republicans, like all Americans, support responsible stewardship of the land.'"
"This summer, Republicans and Democrats will celebrate their presidential nominees at conventions billed as the greenest in their parties' histories.
At the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, biodegradable balloons and recycled confetti will fall on attendees.
Convention hall carpeting will be recycled, recyclable or both. And organizers plan on using environmentally friendly paint for the walls.
Planning committees for the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, are working on improving energy efficiency for the event. They have also cut down on paper use by relying more on electronic communication and will use fuel-efficient vehicles in the convention auto pool.
The measures highlight a major shift in the meetings and conventions industry toward holding environmentally friendlier events.
Holding a green meeting is 'no longer a quirky, nice thing to do,' said Joel Makower, executive editor of GreenBiz.com. 'It's something that increasingly is being asked, if not demanded, by meeting producers.'"
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posted by Faint of Butt at 9:09 AM on May 19, 2008