Sustainability & Social Impact
The Water Environment Federation aspires to reduce our environmental impact and to make positive contributions to the communities where we host WEFTEC.
Learn about the actions we will take and find out how you can contribute.
Sustainability at WEFTEC 2024
WEF’s mission is to inspire the water community in pursuit of human and environmental well-being. With our mission as our inspiration, WEF continually drives event sustainability by promoting environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) at WEFTEC.
Following WEFTEC 2023, we proudly earned the Events Industry Council (EIC) Sustainable Event Standards Gold Certification, marking a significant achievement in sustainable event management. This award acknowledges our commitment to sustainable event management. WEF remains dedicated to advancing further sustainability initiatives related to WEFTEC.
Our 2024 priorities are
- Eliminate 100% of plastic service ware at WEF-hosted events.
- Offset WEF staff travel to WEFTEC.
- Offset WEFTEC water footprint through Water Restoration Certificates (WRC).
- Develop sustainable procurement guidelines.
- Share exhibitor sustainability guidelines with all WEFTEC exhibitors.
As thought leaders and innovators, you have a unique opportunity to lead by example and make a tangible difference in the fight against climate change. By joining WEF's efforts and committing to sustainable practices, you contribute to a collective effort that goes beyond the conference walls, influencing industries and communities worldwide.
Help Make
WEFTEC Sustainable Give Back to
Our Host City Engage with
DE&I Programs Mind Your
Health & Well-Being
These efforts require the cooperation of several key partners.
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
In October 2022, the U.S. Green Building Council awarded the convention center a gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a designation that recognizes highly efficient, green buildings.
Honeycomb Strategies
This partner supports WEF in our pursuit of event industry certification through the Events Industry Council (EIC) Sustainable Events Standards by helping to identify sustainable solutions, supporting stakeholder engagement, measuring event impact, and developing a strategic roadmap for setting goals to make sustainable improvements to WEFTEC.
Learn About Honeycomb StrategiesFreeman
Committed to net zero carbon by 2050, and by 2030 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, Freeman’s sustainability agenda focuses on the biggest impact areas within the events industry. With smart practices, eco-friendly material, outreach, and education, they are working to reduce their carbon footprint by focusing on waste, resources, energy, people, and products.
See the Freeman Impact SnapshotHow You Can Help Us Be Sustainable
Sign the Sustainability Pledge
Join us in making a lasting impact at this year’s conference by taking our Sustainability Pledge. Together, we can make WEFTEC not just an event, but a milestone in the journey towards a healthier planet. Your small steps lead to big changes. Let's make sustainability the norm, starting now!
Help Reduce Waste
The New Orleans Convention Center continues to expand its waste management programs for recyclable and landfill items. Composting of organic waste from food scraps, napkins, and biodegradable utensils will be available at all WEFTEC food and beverage events and concession areas inside the exhibition and lobbies. By composting organic materials, we can significantly reduce WEFTEC’s environmental footprint and promote a circular economy by returning nutrients to the soil.
Help reduce waste by placing recyclable, landfill, and composting items in the correct bins located throughout the convention center.
Offset Your Travel to WEFTEC
WEF offers conference participants an opportunity during registration to reduce their carbon footprint from travel to WEFTEC by contributing toward purchasing Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs) from the United Nations carbon offset platform.
Your generous contribution, along with WEF's match up to $5,000, will make a significant impact. WEF will recognize contributions by printing carbon offset icons on conference badges.
If you did not contribute when you registered, you can stop by the registration area in Hall G to donate.
Participate In Hotel Towel and Linen Reuse Programs
Participating in the hotel towel and linen reuse program is a simple yet impactful way for guests to contribute to environmental sustainability, resource efficiency, and economic savings.
Reuse towels and linens in your hotel room to save water and energy and reduce chemical use.
Bring Your Refillable Water Bottle
​Join us in our commitment to sustainability by bringing your refillable water bottles! By choosing to refill instead of purchasing single-use plastic bottles, you'll not only help reduce plastic waste but also contribute to a greener, more eco-conscious event experience.
Fill up your reusable water bottle at the filling stations located in lobbies and exhibit halls in the convention center.
DE&I Programs
The Water Environment Federation (WEF) maintains diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) as core principles of our organization’s mission. Our members, Board of Trustees (BOT), volunteer leaders, and staff — together and individually — share the responsibility to uphold these principles. We celebrate these principles at WEFTEC in several ways.
See the 2024 DEI Programming
Give Back to Our Host City
With the generous support of our WEFTEC Sustainability Partner, Xylem, WEFTEC will feature opportunities right where WEFTEC is happening. Be sure to stop by the locations listed below to give a few minutes to make a difference for the people who welcome us to their city for WEFTEC.
Laundry Kit Building Activity |
STEM Kit Building Activity |
| Hilton Riverside – Chemin Royale Foyer Saturday, October 5 | 2 – 5 p.m. *while supplies last Sunday, October 6 | 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. *while supplies last |
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center - Hall G Monday, October 7 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. *while supplies last Tuesday, October 8 | 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. *while supplies last |
| Join WEF’s House of Delegates and Community Leadership Council in assembling single-use laundry kits including detergent, fabric softener, and a dryer sheet benefiting the Ronald McDonald House. The kits will help ease the burden on families who are staying at the Ronald McDonald House. | Support hands-on learning by helping assemble STEM Kits for Community Works of Louisiana. Community Works builds a creative and healthy Greater New Orleans by increasing equitable access to innovative in-school, after-school, and summer enrichment programs that engage young people. These kits offer exciting experiments and projects covering various STEM subjects, from physics to coding and robotics. Join us in sparking curiosity and building a brighter tomorrow. |
Get Out Into the Community
WEF is also excited to offer several opportunities for WEFTEC participants to get out into the host city to join us in giving back to the local community. Through impactful community service, WEF strives to enhance the social well-being of WEFTEC host cities.
Water Palooza
Water Palooza is a day-long education fair hosted at an elementary school, typically held the Friday before WEFTEC.
The goal of Water Palooza is to engage students in hands-on and demonstrative activities that promote the value of water and encourage students to become stewards of their water environment. At the event, students travel in small groups to various stations to learn about the local water environment, the value of water, initiatives in their community, and how to save water and protect the environment at home.
Community Service Project
Held the Saturday before WEFTEC since 2008, projects typically involve installing green infrastructure to help manage stormwater and improve the local water environment (via rain gardens, bioswales, etc.). The project also helps educate the community about the value of water.
For 2023, volunteers built a rain garden at the Ole A. Thorp Elementary Scholastic Academy in Chicago.
Health & Well-Being
WEF recognizes that attending conferences often involves long hours of sitting and being indoors, which can negatively affect physical health. To avoid this, we incorporate wellness activities into WEFTEC to encourage participants to move their bodies and engage in other behaviors to support overall health and well-being.
Join the WEFTEC Wellness Challenge!
To support the overall health and well-being of conference participants we encourage everyone to join the WEFTEC Wellness Challenge. Enjoy some healthy competition with your peers as you walk your way through WEFTEC. Earn one point per step while earning a chance to win prizes and working your way up the leaderboard. Visit the wellness challenge page for information on prizes and how to join.
The Mindfulness Lounge
Visit the Mindfulness Lounge, your exclusive retreat at the conference. Relax in a serene environment where meditation and mindfulness are encouraged to lower stress and elevate your creativity, happiness, and productivity.
WEFTEC 2025
98th Annual
Technical Exhibition & Conference
McCormick Place Convention Center
Chicago, Ill. USA
Conference: September 27 - October 1, 2025
Exhibition: September 29 - October 1, 2025
