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September 2008
Best Practices: Modeling McGreen
McDonald’s worldwide convention takes attendees back to the land
By Nancy Mann Jackson
Even burgers and fries get their start on a farm. That’s why the McDonald’s Worldwide Convention 2008, held April 14-17 in Orlando, featured live corn and soybean crops growing on the show floor. The earthy display was one of many reminders to the show’s 30,000 attendees that a healthy environment is important for building a stronger business.
The live crops, grown offsite by general services contractor Freeman and transported into soil beds in the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) prior to show time, were part of the Supply Chain booth, which “educated attendees on the supply chain process and reminded them that our ingredients really do start in the ground,” says Bob Langert, Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility for McDonald’s. “They learned about the process plants go through from growth to store.” After the show, the crops were donated to local food companies and the soil was donated for OCCC landscaping.
Because the primary purpose of the annual convention is to share best practices with worldwide restaurant owner-operators and their families, organizers decided the show would be an ideal opportunity to model green business practices. Not only did McDonald’s want the event to be environmentally responsible and fiscally prudent, the company also wanted to create “a platform to tell our story about environmental initiatives,” Langert says. “We wanted attendees to learn more about how being environmentally responsible can improve efficiencies at their own stores.”
In addition to the Supply Chain booth, there were plenty of other opportunities for environmental education across the show’s nearly 725,000 square feet of space. Exhibitors included internal departments such as marketing and financial services, and outside suppliers such as Coca-Cola and packaging and décor providers. The Energy booth featured alternative energy sources, including a working wind turbine, which was donated after the show to the OCCC and may be used to generate energy for the building. Booths that included sustainabilityrelated components were identified with a green McDonald’s logo in the booth, in the program and online, so attendees could learn from exhibitors’ efforts. Additional green factoids and initiatives were shared on the screens prior to each session.
At the Camp McKids children’s program, young participants had daily environmental lessons, activities and crafts that incorporated recyclable and reusable materials. Children also received gardening gloves and seeds to plant at home.
Attendees and their families didn’t just learn about sustainability; organizers also modeled the concept throughout the convention. Shuttle buses were diesel powered, and some hydrogen buses were used. Menus were planned to reduce waste, and all plates, cups and cutlery were biodegradable. Organic and local food items were used where cost effective, and leftover food was donated to America’s Second Harvest. Thanks to McDonald’s aggressive recycling program, more than 70 percent of waste was diverted from landfills.
Water coolers were available as an alternative to bottled water, reducing bottled water consumption by 25 percent. All 17 convention hotels completed environmental scorecards that detailed their green initiatives, and most of the hotels used were certified or in the process of becoming green certified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. And McDonald’s $6,000 donation to the Orange County Environmental Protection Division’s joint venture with Progress Energy offset the show’s carbon usage three times over by providing rebates for 60 local homeowners who purchase and install solar water heaters.
“I was extremely pleased with the end result,” Langert says. “You couldn’t walk the floor without learning more about the environment. And a number of attendees said they appreciated the focus on the environment.”
McDonald's' Strategy
Goal: Extend the company’s 20-year history of environmental innovation in packaging and other aspects to factor the environment into all convention-related decisions to serve as a model for franchise owners.
Strategy: Make environmental responsibility a key part of the show by identifying sustainability messages at each booth, instituting an aggressive recycling program, utilizing organic and local food items, donating leftover food, providing water coolers, requiring convention hotels to complete environmental scorecards, and using diesel powered and hydrogen buses.
Results: More than 70 percent of waste was diverted from landfills through recycling efforts, and bottled water consumption was reduced by 25 percent.
Nancy Mann Jackson, a freelance writer and editor, writes for a number of associations and corporations. She has worked on the editorial staff of Convene and is a college writing teacher and marketing communications consultant. Contact her at nancy@writeshoponline.com.
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