2012 Supplier Showcase certified gold level 'green' event

The 2012 Supplier Showcase, which will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Arizona and Ventana ballrooms of the Memorial Union on the Tempe campus, has been certified a Gold Green Event by ASU University Sustainability Practices. The theme for the showcase this year is “Greening Maroon and Gold,” and vendors have been encouraged to specifically highlight their sustainable products along with all the goods and services they provide.

In preparing for the event, ASU Purchasing and Business Services carefully aligned the Supplier Showcase planning committee’s activities with those of the requirements to qualify for a Gold Green Event certificate. Some of the many steps event organizers took to ensure a sustainable experience include purchasing local goods and services, printing signs without a date so they can be reused, purchasing and using supplies in bulk, eliminating the use of Styrofoam™ products and informing vendor/participants that Styrofoam™ is not allowed, and having the event catered by a vendor that is committed to sustainability practices and who will serve Fair Trade coffee and teas.

“We are proud that the organizers of the Supplier Showcase have worked so diligently to incorporate so many aspects of sustainable events management into this year’s showcase," says Nick Brown, ASU’s Director of University Sustainability Practices. "I am proud to be associated with this event, and I look forward to seeing vendors who are incorporating cutting edge methods of providing ASU with sustainable materials and services for use on our campuses."

Additionally, all event registration and participant information has been provided online only and all event staff has completed the university’s Sustainability Literacy training.

“After deciding to focus the 2012 Supplier Showcase on sustainable products and services, the committee felt it was important to apply sustainable practices while hosting the event,” says ASU Materials Management director Diana Gallese. “Being mindful of eco-friendly practices during the planning process, and having committed participation is the key to a successful green event.”

All ASU faculty and staff are invited to attend the Supplier Showcase from 10am-2pm next Wednesday at the MU, where they can meet face-to-face with ASU-approved vendors who produce a variety of goods and commodities that meet the needs of the wide array of colleges and departments at ASU. Company representatives at the showcase will answer questions, provide information about their services and hand out samples and other takeaway items. Employees who are housed at campuses other than Tempe are encouraged to carpool or take the free intercampus shuttles to travel to Tempe.

Learn more about the 2012 Supplier Showcase.