the greenest conference materials I've ever seen

I'm at a conference where the organizers handed out name badges and lanyards made from recycled materials. The handouts with schedules and notes are in a binder made of corrugated cardboard.

And check out this pen!

I have to say that I'm a bit wary about this post because even if the pen has a paper barrel and a bamboo clip, the top part still seems to be plastic and it might still be produced by children in south Asia. While I was impressed that the centerpieces used for all the banquet tables will be donated to a local Atlanta Habitat for Humanity project, I flinched when the speaker mentioned the conference's carbon footprint. I wanted to ask how many people flew or drove to attend? What about all the leftover food on the continental breakfast spread? I saw a paper recycling can but glass bottles and aluminum cans going into the regular trash. There are so many aspects to consider if you want to be truly sustainable!

At the same time it is respectable to take one or a few places where a motivated someone can reduce their impact and do just that. That's what I tell myself when I pour myself a glass of water from the cooler (same glass all day) and resist the iced down Dasani bottles.