We are delighted to kick off our corporate sustainability initiative. We also found immense value from partnering with GBB, learning how to become more proficient in our products and materials purchasing, usage, and disposal. To share this news with the world, we added a new section to our corporate website. We are committed to and accountable for creating a greener future.
Diverting 2,200 LBS of fabric banner material away from landfills is no small feat. Finding a way to convert this same fabric into attractive, unique, and reusable tote bags proved even more challenging, but our Event Management team had their thinking caps on. So far, we have happily produced more than 1,600 reusable totes and distributed a portion of them to our clients and employees as holiday gifts.
During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we designed, developed, and launched the FNvirtual event platform, a robust online experience that allows our clients to hold virtual meetings, expos, product launches, and more, from anywhere around the world. This growing arena has allowed us to extend our event production offerings, expand our green program, and offer our clients another eco-friendly option when it comes to meeting and conferences.
Our FNvirtual Event Platform launched in mid-2020 and we\'re proud to announce our numbers continue to grow! In 2021, we produced more than 30 virtual events! These productions took place in every time zone, were broadcast to and had participants from multiple countries, and were streamed on a handful of different platforms including our own virtual event powerhouse FNvirtual. We also produced events on Hopin, YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, and Splash. Some were 100% virtual, while others went the hybrid route...part in-person and part online. We are excited that many of our clients report they saw increases in both engagement and the number of participants from international locations. In addition, our FNstudios team has been extremely busy recording, editing, and streaming scores of sessions for clients around the world. Having a robust digital arm of FNTECH allows our team to stay safe and connected while at the same time reduces carbon emissions caused by conference travel. We consider those some BIG WINS all the way around!
In celebration of Earth month, FNTECH announced our advancement as a GBB platinum-certified business. Implementation of new waste management initiatives helped us achieve this fantastic new certification. Every time we see this new logo, we\'re reminded of the difference we\'re making toward a healthier planet and a sustainable way of living for generations to come.
Since first moving into our Santa Ana headquarters, we knew we wanted to shift from the outdated and inefficient metal/halide light bulbs to something better. (In a state plagued with an energy crisis, we know how important it is to reduce our energy consumption everywhere possible.) Initially, we installed motion sensor lights in our front offices. This helped, but the real impact was felt when we converted our expansive warehouse space to all LED lighting. We now use LED bulbs throughout our entire facility. This change allowed us to reduce our average daily energy consumption by a whopping 55.56%! We went from using 224 kWh a day to 99.54 kWh per day - a savings that could power four average U.S. households each day!
In November 2021, we were delighted to produce another successful Open Compute Project Global Summit at the San Jose Convention Center. This was one of our first large hybrid events, held concurrently both in-person and on our FNvirtual Event Platform. With nearly 2,000 attendees in person and COVID restrictions still very much in place, our catering manager ensured our boxed lunches were assembled and packaged using the most green/compostable options available. Additionally, we\'re proud to use a venue that partners with Hunger at Home, an organization that collects excess food and goods to distribute to the local hungry and homeless. Happily, all leftover boxed lunches did not go to waste, but were donated to those in need.
To date, our metal shop has recycled 3,300 LBS of aluminum and steel cumulatively. Our custom Wentex frames have been a main feature in our events for over 10 years and with an infinite life-cycle, we have been able to reuse our frames time and again, until they are recycled.