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The massive (MASSIVE) Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is going Green. 

in 2008, the show will make history again as the largest carbon-neutral trade event in history … offsetting the carbon emissions of all CES venues, freight, shuttle buses and hotel rooms

In addition to directly paying for offsets, the CES is encouraging attendees to offset their travel via Carbonfund.  (Yes, for $11.03, you too can fly from Washington, DC, to Las Vegas, NV, and back guilt free …  that is $5.515 per ton of CO2 emissions … and Carbonfund evidently assumes that all flights are economy class.)

The conference “greening” goes beyond this …

• Recycling bins will be placed across the show floor this year to divert cans, cups, glass products and paper
• All CES flyers are printed on recycled paper using soy inks
• Remaining show publications and flyers will be recycled at the close of the event
• Attendee food containers and utensils are biodegradable, made from hemp, corn byproduct or other organic materials
• Environmentally friendly chemicals are used in maintaining over 100 restrooms daily, replacing more than 15,000 gallons of non-sustainable products
• The Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) has switched to recycled paper products including toilet paper, facial tissue and paper towels
• All light bulbs and batteries used by the show are recycled and diverted from landfills
• Hazardous waste disposal programs are in affect for waste oil, paints and solvents
• Recycled carpet will be used in some convention spaces at the LVCC

This starts to be a list, perhaps going beyond symbolic into substantive.  When we consider the 140,000 attendees, one must wonder how many will pay attention to the greening efforts around this in competition with the glitz of the newest technological toys.

CES is encouraging attending companies to register their ‘green’ products as part of myGreenElectronics which has reached “100,000 consumers in its first year”.

There are at least five sessions (okay, out of how many total?) that are green focused, such as on energy efficiency.

How much power do consumer electronics really use? What role should industry and government play in promoting greater energy efficiency? How are high-tech products and systems being marketed to energy-conscious consumers? How much of a factor should energy use be in electronic product design? Get the facts about consumption and efficiency here.

Energy efficiency and consumer electronics is a significant issue. For example, vampire power burns roughly 20% of US household electricity (plus significant amounts in American stores, offices, and elsewhere).    Those companies represented at CES could, collectively, work to basically eliminate this. Yes, energy efficiency is an important issue for the electronics industry. And, the premier show has a panel with serious people on it:

• Moderator: Murray Slovick, Editorial Director, Electronics Group, Hearst Business Media
• Moderator: Dan Warren, President and Editor, Warren Communications News, Inc., Publisher of Consumer Electronics Daily
• Panelist: Jon Fairhurst, Manager, Technology Planning, Sharp Labs of America
• Laurence Harrison, Director of Consumer Electronics, Intellect – United Kingdom
• Allen Henrie, Manager of Strategic Buisness, Home Entertainment Department, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
• Douglas Johnson, Senior Director, Technology Policy and International Affairs, Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)
• Katharine Kaplan, Product Manager, Energy Star Program, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
• Elissa Levin, Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• Margie Lynch, Program Manager, Consortium for Energy Efficiency
• Timothy McGrady, Environmental Manager, LG Electronics USA, Inc.
• Alan Meier, Senior Scientist, Energy Analysis Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Graham Robertson, Vice President, Global Marketing and Corporate Communications, International Rectifier
• Mark J. Sharp, Group Manager, Corporate Environmental Department, Panasonic Corporation of North America

Yes, an important subject, with 13 serious people on the panel, a panel scheduled for a total of 90 minutes.