Gen Con 2018 to slay waste with new sustainability efforts at gaming event

Gen Con is no stranger to the color green: dragons' scales, witches' brews and goblins' faces plaster the hundreds of games at the annual event.

But this year, the world's largest and longest-running gaming convention, held in Indianapolis, is bringing green to the tables in a whole new way.

Gen Con announced Wednesday to IndyStar that it will kick off the 2018 convention with a focus on sustainability that includes reducing its paper usage, increasing its recycling opportunities and offering collector's items in place of one-time signage.

These efforts, which will be part of a multi-year plan for the convention, tie into and support Indianapolis' "It's My City" campaign that launched last year with a mission to make the city cleaner, greener and more beautiful.

"Just as Indianapolis loves welcoming Gen Con to our city each year, Gen Con has shown their commitment to Indianapolis," Mayor Joe Hogsett told IndyStar, "working to lessen their environmental impact and actively participate in the betterment of our community."

Join the conversation: The Scrub from IndyStar is on Facebook

Coal on the rebound: Could this 'clean coal’ plant proposal be answer to Indiana’s 17 billion tons of reserves?

Pothole got you down: You can file a pothole damage claim with Indianapolis, but it probably will be denied

Some things might look a little different for attendees at Gen Con's 2018 event.

Most notably, the program books might feel just a bit lighter. Gen Con plans to reduce its paper usage by three million pages this year, largely as a result of shrinking the books by nearly half.

Doing so will save more than 130 trees, according to Jake Theis, director of marketing with the convention.

"We will always want to produce a program book for attendees, as we have a 50-year history of having a totem book they can take home and look back on," he said. "But does it need to be around 300 pages? I don’t think so."

Also in an effort to cut back on waste, there will be "unboxing stations" this year where convention-goers can recycle their gaming components and packing materials, including the cellophane wrap and interior cardboard pieces.

More than 500 games debuted at last year's convention, which marked the 50th anniversary for the show and sold out for the first time in its history.

Theis expects this year to be no different. Gen Con — which is the largest consumer hobby, fantasy, science fiction and adventure game convention in North America — will have over 19,000 events for attendees to play games.

"We are so excited to see to see just how much recycling we can collect," Theis said of the stations. There will be at least two, with one each in the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium.

The event also has committed to making at least 25 percent of its signage either recyclable, multi-year or repurposed.

As part of that effort this year, Gen Con is partnering with Indianapolis company People for Urban Progress to create one-of-a-kind collectible bags and wallets. The limited-edition items, crafted using both the RCA dome material and last year's outdoor Gen Con 50 signs, will be sold on the company's site.

"As a leader of tabletop gaming culture and one of the largest gaming events in the world, we have a unique opportunity to drive positive change," said Gen Con LLC David Hoppe. "Through proactive planning, investments in digital resources, fun engagement with our attendees and cultivation of strategic partnerships, we hope to provide a lasting sustainability template for both gaming and non-gaming events."

Chris Gahl of Visit Indy said he believes Gen Con's efforts will have exactly that effect and reflects the steps the city has taken toward being a leader in sustainability. The senior vice president also applauds the convention's selection of Indianapolis' Second Helpings as one of its two annual charity partners for the 2018 event.

With this partnership, food rescue messaging will be featured throughout the convention and several events will offer opportunities and charitable options for attendees to donate to these efforts.

"Stepping inside the Indiana Convention Center, the facility recycles more than 60 tons of waste annually and partners with Second Helpings, a food rescue program that repurposes catering food, taking it into a kitchen to provide hands-on job training, and then feeds the city’s homeless,” Gahl told IndyStar.

“We commend the city’s largest convention, Gen Con, for continuing to prioritize sustainability," he continued, "as their efforts will help encourage other major events to leave a positive, carbon-neutral footprint in Indy.”

Gen Con continues to work on other initiatives geared toward sustainability, such as digital ticketing or partnering with the city parks, that it likely will roll out as the convention approaches.

Even with these changes — and arguably because of them — Gen Con promises to still deliver the "best four days in gaming." The 2018 convention will return to the Indiana Convention Center Aug. 2 through Aug. 5, and expects to sell out of attendee badges prior to the event.

With the event just more than 100 days away, registration for badges is now open.

Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at (317) 444-6129. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust.

For other environmental coverage from IndyStar:

Cutting concerns: Indiana's forests are in danger and the threat is you

Indy toxic chemicals: Indiana produces 6th most toxic chemicals in the U.S.

Small victories: Indiana moms help defeat EPA nominee with ties to chemical industry

Childhood cancer: Johnson County moms head to Washington to be 'pillar of strength' for children with cancer

New ally: ‘This just isn’t normal’: Why Erin Brockovich is fighting for an Indiana town

Coal concerns: These toxic coal ash pits are leaking into Indiana's water

Toxic waste spill: Hoosier homes, businesses would be flooded during coal ash spill

Flood forewarning: It wouldn't take a Harvey-size storm to devastate Indianapolis

Snowy owl sightings: Rare snowy owls invade Indiana in historic numbers, and how to see them