On
Tuesday afternoon, City of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown led members of the Buffalo
Niagara CVB’s Green Hospitality Initiative, in a state-of-the-art program that
plants trees to “offset the negative carbon footprint” from the Solar 2009
National Conference currently being hosted in Buffalo.
A
total of 56 trees will be planted in downtown Buffalo and along Delaware Avenue
to offset the carbon emissions of the 1,500-person conference being held at the
Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. In its 38th year, SOLAR 2009 is
America’s leading conference on the emerging trends, technology, and
opportunities shaping the new energy economy.
The
Buffalo Green Hospitality Initiative was formed in August 2007 by dozens of
Buffalo’s hospitality organizations. The focus of the program is to promote a
green experience for travelers in Western New York, as well as develop and
maintain environmentally responsible practices in the Erie County Hospitality
Industry. Examples include composting of non-used food items, a hotel guest
option to have towels exchanged with fewer frequency, a bicycling lending
program by Buffalo Blue Bikes, and the tree plantings.