Sustainability 

NAFSA's commitment to sustainability shapes our choices at every level—from the venues and vendors we select, to how we design the program, to how we engage with our exhibitors, members, and the host city. 

Programming and Content

Sustainability in international education is a consistent theme throughout the NAFSA 2026 conference program. Sessions, workshops, and poster fair presentations explore sustainability as both a professional practice and a global imperative—reflecting the field's commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and to environmental stewardship. Learn more about these offerings in the NAFSA 2026 Online Planner. 

Travel

NAFSA is a signatory of the Climate Action Network for International Education (CANIE) Accord, and we partner with CANIE on the #TravelwithCANIE initiative to help attendees reduce emissions associated with conference travel. Through #TravelwithCANIE, attendees can pledge to choose the lowest-carbon travel option available to them and log their journey using a carbon calculator; participants receive a certificate after the conference documenting their contribution to the community's collective emissions reduction.

We recognize that convening an international conference has a significant environmental footprint. At the same time, the NAFSA annual conference creates meaningful travel efficiencies: Attendees consistently tell us that one NAFSA conference replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate trips to engage their global networks and partners.

Signage and Collateral

NAFSA has significantly reduced the environmental footprint of our conference collateral. We have eliminated the printed program and note planner, reduced mailings to a single postcard, and decreased the volume of other printed materials we produce. Paper cannot be entirely eliminated from the registration process—many higher education institutions have documentation requirements that make paper necessary—but we continue to reduce our use wherever we can. And where printing is necessary, we use sustainable ink and recycled paper.

Digital wayfinders and signage have replaced many printed matter, and NAFSA 2026 features more digital signage than ever. NAFSA has made meaningful changes to the items we provide to attendees, with tote bags made from sustainable, fair-trade materials and aluminum water bottles in place of plastic ones.

The Expo Hall

NAFSA coordinates a donations and recycling program for materials exhibitors would otherwise discard. We work with local organizations such as Habitat for Humanity to donate furniture, décor, and reusable building materials after the event. We also partner with community groups to distribute leftover promotional items to relevant charities, such as promotional office supplies being donated to local school non-profits.

Our Venue and Host City

Orlando is a city actively advancing sustainability across its hospitality, transportation, and convention sectors. The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) has a robust record of environmental stewardship, including LEED Gold certification and recognition with the Rise to the Challenge Award from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2020.

Among the center's key practices:

• Energy: The OCCC campus is powered in part by a rooftop solar installation and five ground-mounted solar arrays that together offset approximately 100,000 kWh of energy use per month. The facility is in the process of converting to LED lighting throughout, and during non-event hours the center conserves energy by reducing lighting levels and deactivating escalators and moving walkways.
• Water: The OCCC has installed low-flow fixtures and maintains an active program to identify and reduce leaks throughout the facility. The convention center also uses reclaimed water for landscaping irrigation, rather than drawing on the municipal water supply.
• Waste and Recycling: The campus offers more than 575 paired landfill and recycling stations across its indoor and outdoor spaces, making responsible waste disposal easy and accessible for all visitors. And the convention center's food and beverage partner operates a food donation program through which unused and surplus food is directed to organizations including Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida and Orlando Union Rescue Mission, ensuring that food that would otherwise go to waste reaches people in the community who need it.

Partners and Vendors

NAFSA's general services contractor, Freeman, has made sustainability a central part of its operations. A founding member of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, Freeman has committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2050 and holds ISO 20121 Event Sustainability Management and ISO 14001 Environmental Management certifications, the first general services contractor to earn both. Freeman's sustainability services include charitable donation programs, exhibitor outreach and education, and sustainable event audits—all of which support NAFSA's own goals for the conference. Learn more about Freeman's Net Zero Roadmap.

Several of Orlando's hotel partners are taking meaningful steps:

• Eighteen hotel brands in the city donate unused soaps to Clean the World, a nonprofit that distributes personal care products to homeless shelters.
• Hilton Orlando has committed to removing single-use plastic straws, foam, and plastic bags from its facilities.
• Rosen Hotels converts used cooking oil into biodiesel that powers their maintenance vehicles and golf carts.