Sustainability Guidelines for Attendees

Welcome to the Oregon Convention Center! Here at the OCC, we are proud to be a leader in sustainability and as a LEED Platinum building, have certain key practices in place. Please join us in being a part of keeping Oregon healthy and thriving for future generations (and events!) to come. Learn more at oregoncc.org/en/about/sustainability.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Reduce waste

• Utilize any of our 24 water bottle filling stations throughout the venue to stay hydrated throughout your event with a reusable water bottle.
• Choose to reuse and opt for a durable coffee mug at one of our coffee stations, or a reusable travel mug if you are on the go!
• If possible, purchase products with less packaging, and ensure any packaging you do have ends up in the right place. (Any to-go boxes, plastic utensils, and coffee cups belong in the trash, but please do recycle any flyers, and empty bottles or cans! For more info on recycling in the Portland Metro region, visit portlandoregon.gov/sustainabilityatwork/article/461315)
• Recycle any brochures or flyers you don’t need at the end of your event in one of our recycling bins, and ensure lanyards get returned to collection boxes if your event has a lanyard reuse practice in place.
• Participate in front-of-house recycling opportunities by utilizing our recycling stations.
• Here at the OCC, we make it easy to get around car-free. Use our MAX line, the streetcar, or one of our many bike rental programs around town to see the sights! Going on foot works great too if the weather permits, and there are plenty of wonderful walking paths near the waterfront and downtown.
• Purchase carbon offsets to reduce impacts of travel. We are in the process of developing a formalized program for this, so don’t hesitate to reach out with questions.
• If purchasing gifts to take home, please consider supporting local Portland vendors to reduce impacts of transporting goods long-distance. We are well known for our generous array of crafters and local artists in the Pacific Northwest, so you’ll have plenty of options!

While here, check out some of the features of our venue

• Lounge in one of our nature-inspired lobby areas. The carpet is meant to inspire a lichen-covered forest floor, and is made of replaceable and nontoxic tiles that reduce waste and help keep our air clean.
• Walk along the south end of our building to check out our innovative rain garden, which harvests water from 5.5 acres of roof to clean out debris and contaminates. This keeps our beautiful waterways clean and healthy, and helps us achieve our Salmon-Safe certification.
• Find a high vantage point to look over and see our rooftop solar array. This collection of over 6,500 solar panels provides 25% of the building power needs, and the rest we purchase through Pacific Power’s renewable Blue Sky program.