Have you ever wondered how a hotel deals with all the waste that is generated in food service and preparation?  Join us for a tour of some of the key areas that impact a day in the life of sustainability at the AT&T Hotel and Conference Center.  Let by the hotel General Manager, this tour will give some insights into what processes are employed, the tools that are used and the kinds of partners needed to make waste reduction a meaningful experience.  Up to 10 people may join this tour. Please wear appropriate footwear for an active back of the house setting. 

Please meet at event registration area – tour will depart at 9:00 am sharp.

A short classroom session will be followed by a 30 minute tour of Balcones’ state of the art recycling facility. The facility processes 35 tons per hour of single stream recyclables and utilizes an equipment configuration that includes several optical sorters and robots. The tour will be followed by a short question and answer session. Safety gear will be provided.

Please Note: Closed-toe shoes are required. No photographs allowed without permission.

Schedule:
8:20 am: Gather in AT&T Hotel and Conference Center lobby for departure
8:30 am: Departure from hotel
9:00 am: Tour starts
10:00 am: Tour ends and departure back to event venue
11:00 am:  Approximate arrival back to AT&T Hotel and Conference Center

Tickets: $30 each

What if there was a better way to manage resources and be a waste service provider? Texas Disposal Systems processes more than 3,000 tons of solid waste daily, including trash, recycling and composting. It is also home to the TDS Exotic Game Ranch, a facility that houses more than 115 species of animals as a living example of co-existence with a state-of-the-art, fully integrated landfill facility.

TDS will be providing a three-hour tour of their facility, including a presentation and bus tour to visit the landfill, the Materials Recovery Facility, large-scale composting facilities and, of course, the animals that live at the TDS Ranch.

Join us to see how TDS creates a noticeably different, noticeably better solution for waste in Central Texas!

Schedule:
8:00 am – Depart Hotel
8:30 am – Arrival
8:45 am – Presentation
9:30 am – Tour Begins
11:30 am – Tour Ends
12:00 pm – Return to Hotel

Tickets: $30 each

Join the University of Texas Austin Sustainability office and staff responsible for Zero Waste Initiatives with  fellow SPC Impact Attendees on a guided walking tour of the campus departing from the hotel main lobby. This sustainability centered tour will include a visit to the Jester Dining Hall and highlights of the green campus tour and sustainability initiatives like these examples.

Schedule:
8:50 am: Meet in AT&T Hotel Lobby
9:00 am: Tour Starts
11:00 am: Tour Ends back at AT& Hotel Lobby

Experience the intersection of art, culture and history at our opening reception hosted by Amazon & Whole Foods at The Blanton Museum of Art! Located on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin, the Blanton Museum of Art is the primary art collection for the city of Austin. With nearly 18,000 works in the collection, the Blanton showcases art from across the ages, from ancient Greek pottery to abstract expressionism. With a year-round schedule of temporary exhibitions, art lovers are sure to discover new and old favorites at the Blanton.

Join us at Hotel Ella, an Austin architectural icon, for a classic evening mixer hosted by American Chemistry Council! Located in downtown Austin and walking distance to the University of Texas campus, Hotel Ella is a stylish boutique hotel housed in the historic Goodall Wooten House, one of Austin’s original landmark estates. Constructed in 1900, the Greek revival-style mansion underwent an extensive renovation in 2013, and now offers the perfect balance between modernity and a rich history rooted in the fabric of the neighborhood and the university. Hotel Ella features beautifully designed outdoor and indoor spaces including 47 guest rooms, a cabana-lined pool, and a wrap-around veranda overlooking the front lawn. 

You may only add ONE Wednesday evening activity to your registration. 

We invite you to travel back in time at the famous Scholz Beer Garten for our mixer hosted by Quad! Scholz is the oldest restaurant and live music venue in Texas. Established in 1866, they’ve been serving the Austin community for almost a century and a half. Over the years it has grown with the Austin community, from hosting a celebration for the University of Texas football team’s first undefeated season in 1893 to being honored by the 1966 Texas legislature with House Resolution #68, which recognized Scholz Garten as “a gathering place for Texans of discernment, taste, culture, erudition, epitomizing the finest tradition of magnificent German heritage in our State.” Today Scholz Garten remains a favorite spot for UT fans, music lovers, and families to enjoy traditional German food, raise their glasses and say Prost! 

Please click “Reserve” to request a mixer pass if you would like join us at this traditional German hot spot with a Texas twist!

*Competitors will not be allowed to join this evening mixer.

Stimulate your senses at Still Austin Distillery for an evening of whiskey tasting and small bites hosted by UPM Raflatac! Still Austin CEO/co-founder Chris Seals will give a brief talk to mixer attendees about their sustainability journey at the distillery. Still is a homegrown grain-to-glass distillery in the heart of Austin, which uses only Texas-grown grains. They are a ragtag collection of whiskey obsessives, gin enthusiasts, sustainability wonks, and good friends who nerd out about the theory of élevage and heirloom grain varieties. After distillation, they send the spent grains back to the farmers to feed their livestock and amend their soil—bringing the entire process full-circle and back to its origins. 

Transportation will be provided from AT&T Hotel & Convention center to Still Austin – the bus will leave the hotel promptly at 6:10 pm. At the end of the mixer, feel free to make your way back to the AT&T Hotel & Conference Center, or stick around and explore some of the other Austin hot spots next door! 

You may only add ONE Wednesday evening activity to your registration.