We're working on making WisCon more environmentally sustainable by reducing the carbon footprint of the convention. As we plan the convention, we'll be sharing the changes we're trying to make, and are interested in your ideas on how we can improve. There are many ideas to explore, and you can get involved by e-mailing carbon32@wiscon.info and coming to the discussions we'll have as part of the WisCon program.

One way you can help right now is by reducing or offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions from your travel to the convention. By purchasing carbon offsets, you help fund a project that prevents greenhouse gases from being emitted in the same amount that your travel causes.

If you are flying to the convention, you can purchase an offset from a company like Terrapass, which invests in wind and other projects to produce clean energy.

If you're traveling by car, try to share the ride with others-the more people in one car, the less gas used per person, and the smaller the emissions than if you all drove separately. To try and arrange carpools, you can use the WisCon Talk google groups list or WisCon LiveJournal community. If you would like to buy an offset for your automobile travel, you can do that for an individual trip or for your yearly travel.

Unfortunately, train service to Madison isn't a great option since the train stops about 30 miles away. That should change in the next five or so years, though, so we're hopeful that train travel will be a viable option for many convention members from Chicago, the Twin Cities, and beyond. We'll let people know when that happens.

Bus service from Chicago and Milwaukee and their airports is pretty good. There are also several buses per day from the Twin Cities, both Greyhound and Megabus. And Amtrak serves Madison on some routes from the East Coast by having travelers change to a bus in Chicago. See the Maps and Directions page for some additional details.

At the Concourse, you can reuse bed linens just by not putting the "please change linens" card on the beds. Hang up your towels if they don't need to be washed. And please use the recycling bags in the rooms and the glass & can recycling bins on each floor.

For more information on carbon offsets, check out http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/realmoney/articles/carbonoffsets.cfm. For information on sustainable transportation, check out https://www.coopamerica.org/PDF/CAQ64.pdf.

We know that purchasing offsets may not be within everyone's budget, so if you can't offset your travel emissions, there are other ways to reduce your carbon footprint, and we will have more information about them as we get closer to the convention.