Greenbuild, the annual green building conference and expo, achieved a record-braking 90 percent waste diversion rate, according to the 2016 Greenbuild Sustainability Report.

This was an 18 percent increase over the Los Angeles Convention Center’s baseline diversion rate. Waste management efforts included front-of-house composting at the convention center and Celebration venue as well as a new waste management process for back-of-house and new instructional signage to educate attendees on sorting waste at at the event, held last October.

Even seemingly small changes — like eliminating the customary conference bag given to event attendees for the first time in 2016 — played a role in helping Greenbuild achieve its waste diversion record. And it happened at an event at which the connection between green building and waste management were highlighted, perhaps more than in other years.

At the 2016 Greenbuild, the Green Business Certification Inc. (the certification body for the US Green Building Council’s LEED green building program) and the US Zero Waste Business Council formally joined forces to advance zero waste business practices. GBCI now manages the Zero Waste Facility Certification and Zero Waste Business Associate programs created by USZWBC, and the zero waste principles are aligned with GBCI’s offerings.

Also in 2016, Greenbuild measured its event water footprint for the first time, taking into account direct water use (water coming directly from the tap) and indirect water used to produce goods for the event such as paper and food. The event’s water footprint measured 11,947,803 gallons, the report says.

Indeed, water was on the forefront of everyone’s mind at Greenbuild 2016, which took place in drought-stricken California. A new summit, WaterBuild, was launched at the event to discuss sustainable water solutions for the state. And for the first time, Greenbuild purchased water restoration certificates to balance water use at the convention center.

For the third year, Greenbuild showcased the “Net Zero Zone”— a 4,500 square foot pavilion powered by solar panels, installed on-site at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In partnership with TerraPass, Greenbuild offset 100 percent of event emissions to make the event carbon-neutral.

Greenbuild also focused its efforts on sustainable sourcing at the 2016 event. About 56 percent of all food was sourced locally and 87 percent was sourced regionally. Additionally the décor at the Celebration was sourced and re-purposed from collected items from the various offices within LA Live and the Staples Center.