GreenTech 2022 in Montreal — together at last!
CommitmentGreenTech 2022 regathering in person smashes all previous conference records!
A major highlight of Green Marine’s 2022 activities has been the enthusiasm demonstrated by so many in returning in person to the 15th GreenTech annual conference.
It was so wonderful to greet everyone at GreenTech 2022 after two years of having to hold the conference online during the pandemic! With 300 registering delegates, GreenTech 2022 reached capacity a full week before it started in Montreal last June 8th! This marks the first time that GreenTech has sold out in its 15 years and reflects the strong desire by key representatives of North America’s maritime industry to discuss shared environmental priorities.
GreenTech 2022 welcomed 48 speakers from across North America and as far away as Europe to share their latest research and/or actions during the conference’s 12 sessions covering a range of sustainability issues.
And how exciting to have representatives from Green Marine Europe and its co-founding Surfrider Foundation Europe at the conference in person for the first time ever!
Finance Expert Florent Marcoux and Project Manager Antidia Citores were anticipating a good conference based on GreenTech 2022’s schedule, but their visit far exceeded their expectations. They were particularly impressed with the collaborative disposition among the North American membership.
Enthusiasm was equally strong among Green Marine’s partners, with all 17 booths in the Exhibition Hall selling out within four days! The space may have been slightly crowded at times but always abuzz with relevant conversations.
A return to an in-person gathering also provided GreenTech 2022 delegates with the opportunity to take part in one of three industrial tours. Delegates had the chance to see how the Port of Montreal has modernized its container terminal services and to learn about its further plans. Or they could visit the bulk side of things and see how various minerals, road salt, gypsum, raw sugar and other commodities are handled at the port. A third option involved getting a close-up look at how the St. Lawrence Seaway Management Corporation operates the St-Lambert Lock to let vessels in and out of the system.
Being able to see what other ports and terminals are doing is just part of the practical knowledge gained at GreenTech conferences.
It’s one of the reasons Green Marine has always pledged to try to hold GreenTech in a different port region of North America each year if possible.
The other reason is to give people from different regions who may not be at liberty to travel long distances the chance to attend and experience what Green Marine is like. It was great to see new faces at the Montreal conference, along with the familiar ones of people who truly dedicate themselves yearly to embracing this networking opportunity to further advance our industry’s environmental strengths. (see below: an 8th carboneutral event)
Next stop: Seattle! Save the dates: GreenTech 2023 will take place at the Grand Hyatt Seattle Hotel from June 12 to 14! Visit GreenTech 2023 for the latest on the conference’s planning.
Green Marine offsets the environmental footprint of its annual conference
For the eighth time, Green Marine has purchased high-quality carbon offset credits to counterbalance the climate impact of the organization’s annual conference.
Accommodations, food, printed information and other supplies, as well as both air and land transportation for all 294 delegates who attended GreenTech 2022 in Montreal were calculated in reaching the total of 135.42 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
The record number of GreenTech 2022 attendees led to a near doubling of the 70.1 tonnes of CO2 generated at the previous in-person conference in 2019. However, the good news is that the amount of CO2 per individual remained almost identical at 0.46 of a tonne, compared to 0.45 three years ago, when the previous in-person conference was held in Cleveland. Environmental impacts are always taken into consideration in planning each conference’s logistics, activities and resources.
GreenTech 2022’s carbon offset funds will go towards the Planetair Global Portfolio which has various projects in the works to newly counteract greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a transparent, calculable and verified manner.
A huge thank you goes to the Chamber of Marine Commerce for sponsoring the carbon offset costs that made Green Marine’s 15th annual conference another carbon-neutral event! GreenTech’s sponsors are a pivotal element in the annual conference’s success, including its minimized environmental footprint.