The Interbike Expo is 100% wind powered and uses 25% recycled carpet. And we are just getting started.


What is the Green Steps Program?
It’s simple: It’s reducing our negative impact on the environment—one step at a time.
There are two components of this program. The first is what Interbike does to make a difference and the second is what you, the exhibitors and attendees, do to make a difference.

The History of Green Steps:
Green Steps began three years ago when Interbike became aware of the negative impact that events can have on the environment. Minimizing that impact quickly became a priority of our business. We soon realized that there was so much that we didn’t know and that there was an incredible opportunity to make a difference. We decided to take “Steps” toward the three R’s—Reduce, Reuse and Recycle – with the belief that anything we did, no matter how small, would have a positive effect.

What Steps does Interbike take?

• Our first Step was to offset the energy used to operate Interbike by purchasing REC's (renewable energy certificates). This is equivalent to taking approx. 30 cars off the road for an entire year or planting 20 acres of trees. See page 2 for a detailed description of RECs.
• Work with the Sands, the City of Las Vegas, GES and other service providers to find out what they are doing and how we can work together to drive initiatives and support additional steps toward a healthier environment.
• Introduced recycled aisle carpeting.
• Offer recycled booth carpet to exhibitors.
• Switched to recycled paper badges printed with soy ink instead of plastic.
• Implemented “Yellow Bag” recycling program to collect cardboard off the show floor.
• Reduced use of paper printing with increase in use of electronic communication.
• Examples: online registration, online exhibitor service manuals and e-newsletters.

What’s new for this year?
The new Carbon Neutral Travel Program. Whether by plane, train or automobile, the CO2 emissions of your travel have a negative effect on the environment. You will now have an opportunity to offset those emissions by calculating your carbon footprint for travel to Interbike and purchasing REC's. Carbon offsets allow you to ensure that in the future, clean alternative wind energy is produced in lieu of carbon-intensive coal fired energy. You are offsetting the carbon that you have already emitted, reducing future carbon emissions, and helping to grow the availability of clean energy by supporting new wind energy projects.

OutDoor Demo Green Steps:

• Organic food and biodegradable foodware.
• Exhibitors provided with biodegradable trash bags.
• Recycle bins throughout event and "green teams" collecting trash around the event for recycling.

What’s in the Future?

• Alternative transportation vs. standard hotel shuttle program. Pending bio-diesel availability.
• Composting bio-degradable items and reuse for local fertilizer. Pending further research and city participation.
• Bio-degradable food and beverage containers and utensils at the Sands.

What Steps Can You Take?

• Become a Carbon Neutral Traveler! Click on the button to the right to calculate your carbon footprint and offset your travel with clean renewable wind-powered energy.
• Continue to check interbike.com to see what programs are available and what’s new as we add new steps each year.
• Continue to practice or implement the three R’s—Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

An important part of the Green Steps Program is to highlight what steps your company takes toward a more healthy and sustainable environment. Contact us with information that you want to share about what your company is doing for the environment. We will highlight your company on our Green Steps page. Sign up today!


Green Steps FAQ:

What are Renewable Energy Certificates?
Renewable energy certificates make it easy for households and businesses to choose clean renewable energy. A Renewable Energy Certificate represents one megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity generated and delivered somewhere on the power grid. Each MWh of clean renewable electricity results in one less MWh of dirty power. Therefore a Renewable Energy Certificate also represents the environmental benefits of replacing dirty power with clean
power.

How does the green power reach my home or business?
Actually, it doesn't. Renewable electricity does not need to reach your home to benefit the environment. When renewable electricity is delivered to the power grid it can go in many directions just like conventional electricity because that is how the grid works. What
matters is how the electricity is generated and what impact it has on the environment.

So how does my purchase make a difference?
The Renewable Energy Certificate allows you, the buyer, to claim credit for the environmental benefit of each MWh you buy. Each Renewable Energy Certificate is unique and tracked so that each MWh of renewable electricity is claimed by only one buyer. Renewable Energy Certificates also represent a green premium paid to renewable generators to help them overcome the barrier of competing against less expensive dirty power. At the end of the day, the more Renewable Energy Certificates are sold the more renewable electricity is made. So, be proud of your power!

I'm starting to get it, can we recap what a Renewable Energy Certificate is?
One Renewable Energy Certificate equals one MWh of renewable electricity delivered to the grid and the environmental benefits of displacing an equivalent amount of dirty electricity. A Renewable Energy Certificate ensures that only one customer claims credit for the each MWh of renewable electricity, sends money to renewable generators so they can compete, and creates demand for more renewable electricity. With renewable energy, you not only generate power
for your home or business, you generate social power. The power to choose the kind of environment we all want to live in.

What impact does conventional electricity generation have on the environment?
Conventional electricity, from coal or natural gas, generates more air pollution than any other industry. In fact, America's power plants produce two-thirds of the pollutants that cause acid rain, one-half of our nuclear waste, one-third of our global warming pollution, and one-third of the air pollutants chiefly responsible for respiratory difficulties in our children and senior citizens.

What is renewable energy?
Renewable energy or "Green Power" is generated by the sun, wind, the earth, or water. These resources replenish themselves naturally, never run out and are brought to you by the most powerful generator of clean energy: Nature.