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Here's a sampling of some of the industry's hottest new eco-friendly ideas. From recycled booths to recycling containers, going Greener has never been easier.
For additional information about available eco-friendly products and services, visit the Green section of our Resource Directory by clicking here.
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 Purposeful Pileup
Cupcoat Expressions, a Canadian manufacturer of reusable coffee sleeves made of fabric and Thinsulate, had a unique challenge for the 2008 Specialty Coffee Association of America show. It not only needed to create awareness for its product, it also had to demonstrate a need for it in the first place. While coffee shops hand out hundreds of cardboard cup holders every day, most people don’t consider the environmental impact those cup holders have on our landfills. So Cupcoat piled nearly 500 cardboard cup sleeves beneath a simple product display in the corner of its 10-by-10-foot booth. While the mountainous mess demonstrated the waste produced by typical sleeves, it allowed staffers to open conversations expounding on both the problem and Cupcoat’s nifty solution. |
Growing Green
 Green seems to be everyone’s favorite color these days, and exhibit house Triad Creative Group wanted to make sure attendees at the 2007 TS² show knew that it offered Green exhibiting alternatives. That’s why it erected a 16-foot-tall tree in the middle of its booth. But this was no ordinary tree. Rather, the trunk was lightweight recyclable aluminum, while different branches were fashioned from eco-friendly materials such as Plyboo, a plywood made of bamboo; Kirei, made from sorghum stalks after the edible parts are harvested; and wheat board, a particle board made of wheat straw. Positioned atop reclaimed carpet, the base of the tree was constructed of certified sustainable lumber and Marmoleum, an all-natural linoleum. The company also displayed a variety of other natural and recycled exhibiting materials to show off its Green gene. Triad’s eye-catching take on Mother Nature served as a conversation starter that educated attendees on a variety of eco-friendly exhibit materials that Triad hopes will take root in their next exhibits.
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Green Tea Time
 A company that espouses a healthier world should have a booth that reflects that ideology as well. That’s why the Compost Tea Co., which makes all-natural compost tea sprays to help vegetation grow, fashioned its booth out of recycled materials and living plants for the All Things Organic show. A barn façade at the back of its 10-by-10-foot booth was made of wood from a 100-year-old barn, as were the planters holding miniature gardens. Sod covered the floor, and old apple crates held products. In a world dominated by Mother Earth-dissing booths, the Compost Tea Co. exhibit was a breath of fresh air. |
It's Easy Being Green
 Tennant Co., which manufactures and markets cleaning equipment and services, performed an act of conspicuous conservation that set it apart from the competition at the 2006 ISSA/Interclean USA Tradeshow and Educational Conference in Chicago. The Minneapolis-based company built a 4,800-square-foot booth that included 1,190 square feet of North American-native perennials such as grasses, shrubs, and trees, an estimated 2,069 individual plants from 30 different plant varieties, recycled rubber paths, and a border built of a variety of southern-pine timbers. Tennant added philanthropy to its promotion by donating all of the plants to Chicago’s new Lurie Garden in Millennium Park, which symbolizes the city’s natural and cultural history. Recycling the vegetation allowed Tennant to demonstrate its commitment to developing cleaning solutions that consume fewer natural resources. |
Loose-Leaf Notes
 How do you deliver an eco-friendly message without saying a word? At the 2007 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show in Las Vegas, Vitra USA Inc. wanted to communicate that its high-efficiency EverGreen 1.2 gallon-per-flush toilet uses 25 percent less water than traditional models. So the company printed each toilet’s gallon-per-flush feature on photographs of bright green leaves and posted them next to the toilets. In a glance, attendees understood how they could literally go Green the next time they, well, have to go. |
Sowing the Seeds of Green
 Few things say “Green” better than trees. That’s why TWI Group Inc. distributed roughly 300 tube-encased seedling-sized pine trees at the 2007 TS² show to get the word out about its Green services. In keeping with its Green theme and tree-friendly giveaway, the company also printed its collateral on both sides of recycled paper, and booth staffers scanned business cards and handed the originals back to visitors for a second use. |
Trade Show Trash
 Midpoint International Inc. takes the Green movement seriously. The company makes recycling containers for college campuses, auditoriums, and stadiums, which are made from 100-percent recycled materials. One of the smallest products Midpoint makes is the mini-bin, a 6-inch-tall garbage can with “This is all the garbage I make!” emblazoned on the side. That statement refers to the small amount of non-recyclable trash a person generates during a day in the office, if that company has a recycling program. The company’s name, phone number, and Web site are also printed on the can. Booth staffers hand out hundreds of the recycled-plastic bins at every trade show Midpoint attends, not only getting its name and product on desks around the country, but helping people become more proactive in their recycling efforts as well. |
For more on Green Exhibiting, visit www.GreenExhibiting.com.
Got an eco-friendly idea for your exhibit you want to share? Tell us about it by e-mailing Janet Van Vleet at jvanvleet@exhibitormagazine.com.
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