San Diego, CA - The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) welcomed attendees to San Diego yesterday for RILA’s Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Conference (ESCC) with environmental tours of the San Diego Zoo and PETCO Park Stadium for the San Diego Padres.
Through this opportunity attendees observed the green practices of one of the largest and most highly regarded zoos in the country. Highlights included the efforts in recycling – they recycle more that 80% of what they bring in, buildings & energy usage, composting, and sustainable practices in food services and customer convenience. The zoo participates in state and city programs to encourage reduced use of electricity and water. The zoo also focuses its resources on conservation in areas such as ensuring genetic diversity among its animals and working worldwide on preservation of endangered species.
Other attendees took a behind the scenes look at what a major league baseball stadium is doing to enhance their sustainability efforts. These techniques include on-grounds recycling systems to recycle food waste, cooking oil and grass clippings and water conservation.
“We were delighted to welcome such an esteemed group of executives to participate in these unique experiences,” said Adam Siegel, vice president of sustainability and retail operations. “We got behind the scenes to see how these two facilities use sustainability programs to engage their customers, create new business opportunities, and tackle local and global environmental challenges,” Siegel concluded.
RILA’s ESCC is a three day conference that brings together the top executives involved in establishing environmental programs and integrating green practices into retail and consumer product manufacturer operations. The conference’s program addresses the key operational aspects of environmental sustainability and compliance for the retail industry, including energy, waste management, water conservation, store operations, real estate development, supply chain issues, and corporate social responsibility. With the iconic brands of retail in attendance, including Best Buy, Costco, IKEA, J.C. Penney, Safeway, Target, Wal-Mart, and many more, the conference advances continuous improvement of sustainability within the retail industry and its suppliers.
RILA is the trade association of the world's largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
