AFSCME in San Francisco – The Green Machine Goes Green

by   |  July 28, 2008

With our trademark green shirts and rally signs, AFSCME has always taken pride in calling ourselves “the Green Machine.” At this year’s International Convention our union has taken this idea to a whole other level. The 38th International Convention, which kicked off in San Francisco today, will be the “greenest” convention on record. What does this mean exactly? It means the nearly 6,000 delegates, staff and guests who are descending on the Moscone West Convention Center are taking unprecedented steps to reduce waste and protect our environment. We have replaced the use of bottled water with reusable water bottles, which are also free of chemicals that pose health risks. Biodegradable and compostable utensils, plates and cups will be used to eat only locally raised and organically grown food. Even the rain ponchos provided to Convention delegates have been made from recyclable, PVC-free plastic. Most impressive is the reduction of paper waste. By providing every delegate with small computer flash drives, our union will save 3.3 million sheets of paper. What’s more, most of the documents we do have to provide to the delegates have been printed on 100-percent recycled paper by a local printing company that uses wind power and is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council. “By providing documents electronically whenever possible and taking other steps, AFSCME upholds our commitment to go green and help protect our environment,” said President Gerald W. McEntee. Now that’s what you call a Green Machine!