It may seem ironic that a green building event would generate waste, but Chicago’s Greenbuild 2007 generated 44 tons of it. Dan Bulley, executive director of the Green Construction Institute and chair of the volunteer committee for Greenbuild 2007, explained what while 44 tons seems like a lot of waste, the event was a week-long international conference and expo, with an exhibit hall and 25,000 participants. The waste produced throughout the week only amounted to approximately 3.5 pounds per person, but with that many attendees, it added up.

As chair of the volunteer committee, Bulley was in charge of 300 volunteers, college students from across the country, who sorted the waste so it could be recycled or composted. For his efforts, the Illinois Recycling Association recently named Bulley as the winner of the Outstanding Large Event Recycling Award.

According to Bulley, 91 percent of the waste, or 40 tons, from the Greenbuild 2007 conference was diverted from landfills. Instead, the waste was recycled or composted.

The conference was held at Chicago’s McCormick Place West, which is a LEED-certified green building.

Bulley is also the Senior Vice President of the Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago, Treasurer of the Chicago Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional.