The sponsors and participants of the Annual 507 Program Training strive to be environmental leaders and work to hold a sustainable event.  Each year, the planning committee develops strategies to reduce the environmental impact of the event, educate attendees, and provide sustainability assistance to the hotel.  We hope to ensure that our efforts will have positive impacts long after the event is over.  Specific actions being taken to make the training greener include:

-Eliminating paper registration folder.
-Selecting venue near public transit and in walking distance to restaurants.
-Providing training materials electronically.
-Purchasing nametag pouches made from 85% post-consumer recyclable plastic (recycled PET).
-Including sustainability questions in the training evaluation.
-Providing participants guidance on sustainable restaurants and transportation options in the area.
-Dedicating a page on the training web site to greening information.

About the Hotel

Each year, the planning committee looks for an environmentally preferable venue to host the training.  The Sheraton Crystal City Hotel supports sustainability initiatives and has assigned a Green Council to implement energy-saving and waste-reducing practices.  Specific actions taken by the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel include:

-Implementing a recycling program that includes paper, plastic, glass, metal, and food grade cooking oils.
-Installing a comprehensive energy management system to regulate lighting and temperature in meeting spaces.
-Tracking electricity, gas, and water utilities in the Energy Looking Glass program and reporting to the hotel corporate office.
-Implementing environmental purchasing practices such as buying products that can be reused, are less toxic, and are available in bulk.