The BlogHer conference is expecting thousands of bloggers to visit San Francisco this weekend. As part of BlogHer's organizational commitment to green practices, the conference organizers are taking a number of steps to make the conference sustainable.

One of the conference sponsors, Michelin, donated funds specifically to offset 200 tons of CO2 to help reduce the conference's carbon footprint. BlogHer is also implementing practical steps to reduce their footprint, most of which are small measures, but quickly build up. These include the following:

encouraging attendees to make use of the local public transit system, and providing information on how to do easily
partnering with GM to make hybrid cars available for coodinated carpooling
using renewable sourced containers for food and beverages, as well as asking particpants to bring reusable cups and utensils
increasing the number of recycling bins their location typically offers for conferences
setting up a Recycle Room to take undesired freebies

None of these steps is enough to make a conference sustainable on its own, but they build up very quickly. Conferences are known for high carbon footprints — all those travelers put on plenty of miles — but BlogHer is setting a good example for other conferences by cutting carbon where they can.

Image — SFist