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SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CHECK OUT THE LATEST HAPPENINGS!

GiveBack

Christmas came a few days early for a group of Oceanfront children thanks to members of the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau.  Thirty-seven delighted children were treated to an afternoon of craft-making, pizza, sweets and a visit from Santa who arrived with a wrapped gift for each child.

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United Way + Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau = Social Responsibilty

Hand in hand, we can do something good. The Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau has partnered with the United Way of South Hampton Roads to provide convention delegates a chance to give back to the community during their time in Virginia Beach. This new program invites visitors to join in our mission to enhance our seaside destination and its natural and historic treasures, with the hope that meeting-goers will reap the rewards - both of the long-term results and the immediate feel-good benefits of pitching in. United Way

Simply review the list of agencies providing volunteer opportunities and coordinate the details with the CVB's Volunteer Resource Manager, Renée Berry, at (757) 385-2000 or rberry@vbgov.com.

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BE RESPONSIBLE & RECYCLE!

The Virginia Beach Convention Center diverted 69.28 tons of recyclable material from the landfill in 2010!  That's the same weight as 10 African Bush Elephants or at least 2 Humpback Whales seen off the VB coast!

The majority of VBCC recycling is through their partnership with TFC Recycling.  TFC provides single stream recycling which includes:  paper, cardboard, plastic and glass bottles, and aluminum, steel and tin cans.  TFC recycled 54.12 tons from our building in 2010.

Please see the chart below for additional recycling details:

Material

Quantity

Recycling Vendor

Batteries

100 lbs. or .05 tons

Veolia Environmental Services

Incandescent Light Bulbs

112 lamps

Veolia Environmental Services

Wood Pallets

182 or 3.19 tons (approx. 35 lbs. each)

Steve's Pallets

Cooking Oil

1,915 lbs. or .96 tons

Valley Proteins, Inc.

Donated Food Overages

2,323 lbs. or 1.16 tons

Judeo-Christian Outreach Center

Food Compost

19,600 lbs. or 9.8 tons

Natural Organic Process Enterprises, Inc. (NOPE)

Single Stream Recycling

54.12 tons

TFC Recycling

TOTAL

69.28 TONS

 

They also collected tubular fluorescent light bulbs, crushing them in our bulb eater and capturing the mercury for proper disposal.  They have disposed of approximately 640 bulbs, but are unable to verify the weight.  The bulb eater collects the crushed glass in a 55 gallon drum that they have yet to fill.

 

Social Responsibility

- SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CHECK OUT THE LATEST HAPPENINGS! Christmas came a few d... ‣‣ More

If your business wants to become more sustainable and eco-friendly, look at the programs listed below:

  1. SENSIBLE SEAFOOD
  2. BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL
  3. LEED® CERTIFICATION
  4. GREEN KEY ECO-RATING PROGRAM
  5. PLAN A SUSTAINABLE EVENT
  6. VIRGINIA GREEN PROGRAM

ABOUT SENSIBLE SEAFOOD

The mission of the Sensible Seafood program is to promote seafood choices that make sense for a healthy marine environment. The Virginia Aqarium & Marine Science Center is introducing the Sensible Seafood program to help consumers make sustainable seafood choices in stores and restaurants. Working in partnership with Monterey Bay Aquarium and an Advisory Panel of regional seafood experts, our Sensible Seafood program provides you with a handy reference pocket guide that rates the most popular seafood items as green, yellow or red. Green items are best choices for seafood that is abundant, well-managed, and fished or farmed in environmentally friendly ways. Yellow items are good alternatives to consider when best choices are not available, though there may be some concerns with how they are caught or farmed. You should avoid red items, at least for now, because they are over-fished or are caught or farmed in ways that harm other marine life or the environment. Click here for more information on Monterey Bay's program.

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SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AND WHY IT MATTERS

Sustainable seafood comes from sources, either fished or farmed, that can continue to produce into the future without negatively affecting their populations or natural ecosystems.  As consumers, we can be good stewards of the environment by making the right choices when we purchase our seafood.  Sustainable seafood is Sensible Seafood, and that makes sense for a healthy marine environment.

SENSIBLE SEAFOOD RESOURCES

  • Sensible Seafood's handy reference pocket guide
  • Virginia Aquarium Sensible Seafood Partners - click here for a full listing
    • These restaurants, businesses and organizations have agreed to partner with the Virginia Aquarium's Sensible Seafood program and follow program guidelines in purchasing their Sensible Seafood=designated seafood items. New Restaurants and businesses are added regularly, so check back often!
  • For more information about the Sensible Seafood program, visit www.virginiaaquarium.com.

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BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL
HAMPTON ROADS

Buy Fresh Buy Local connects consumers to Hampton Roads' freshest and most delicious locally grown and produced food. Through outreach materials, advertisements and point of purchase materials, we make it easy for consumers to find and buy fresh, local food.

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ABOUT BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL HAMPTON ROADS

Our mission is to help consumers make informed decisions about where they buy their food and understand why it is important to keep our food dollars invested in our local economy.

The Hampton Roads chapter began organizing in the spring of 2009 and produced its first Fall Food Guide in October of that year. Since then the organization has produced three seasonal guides to help direct consumers to producers and restaurants who are growing, harvesting, producing and serving the freshest, most delicious local foods.

BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL RESOURCES

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VBCC LEED® GOLD

Built with innovation and sustainability in mind, the VBCC is the first convention center in the country to achieve the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) GOLD level certification under the Existing Buildings rating system.

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ABOUT LEED®

LEED® is an internationally recognized green building certification system initiated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.

BECOME LEED® CERTIFIED

Most buildings seek certification while still in the design and construction phase rather than during actual operations. Having opened in 2005, VBCC earned certification under the Existing Buildings Rating System which helps building owners and operators measure operations, improvements, and maintenance on a consistent scale, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org/leed.

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ABOUT GREEN KEY

The Green Key Eco-Rating Program is the first of its kind to rank, certify and inspect hotels and resorts in North America based on their commitment to sustainable "green" operations. The program was originally developed for the Hotel Association of Canada by a leading environmental engineering firm.  Designed specifically for hotel operations, the Green Key Eco-Rating Program is a comprehensive environmental self-assessment that will allow each participating property to benefit on several fronts - cost savings, increased bookings from environmentally conscious consumers and responsible corporate citizenry.  Green Key is a partnership between the Hotel Association of Canada and LRA Worldwide, Inc.  Visit www.greenkeyglobal.com for more information.

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See what Green Key is doing internationally.

Press Release: April 11, 2011
Two Thousand Hotels and Growing: Green Key Global Reaches all 50 Unites States

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PLAN A SUSTAINABLE EVENT

With its LEED® Gold certification, the Virginia Beach Convention Center continues to elevate the industry standard by continuing its on-going commitment to becoming as environmentally friendly as it is innovative. From state-of-the-art lighting and HVAC systems to an extremely active recycling program, our sustainability initiatives lead the charge for the new wave of green meetings and reflect our tireless commitment to staying green and preserving the beautiful environment we live and work in.

Contact Virginia Beach Convention Center Sustainability Coordinator, Kimberlee Dobbins, to assist with your next event. kdobbins@vbgov.com.

Hybrid Vehicle & Carpool Parking Areas

Sustainability Initiatives

Sustainable Meeting Tips

Virginia Beach - A Green Destination

 

OTHER "GREEN" RESOURCES

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ABOUT VIRGINIA GREEN

Virginia Green, a statewide program supported by the Virginia Tourism Corporation, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, awards green certification to tourism businesses such as hotels, restaurants and attractions that take important steps to reduce harmful environmental effects. As the first Virginia Green destination, Virginia Beach has over 100 Virginia Green certified hospitality businesses.

Virginia Green Logo

WATCH THE VIRGINIA GREEN PROMO VIDEO NOW!

The Virginia Green recruitment video consists of participating hotels, restaurants, attracions and meeting facilities and their stories about how much the program has made an impact on their business.

BECOME VIRGINIA GREEN CERTIFIED

Joining is easy and membership in the program is FREE. Simply fill out the Virginia Green application for the appropriate sector and submit it to virginiagreen@deq.virginia.gov. For more details about the Virginia Green Program and regulations, click here.

Choose an Application:

ADVANTAGES FOR JOINING

We all receive many benefits from protecting our environment, but here are some benefits that come directly from participating in Virginia Green:

  • Listed on Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau website (www.VisitVirginiaBeach.com/green)
  • Listed on Virginia Green website and searchable through Virginia is for Lovers (www.Virginia.org/green)
  • Virginia Green Certificate for display at your facility
  • Use of Virginia Green logo
  • Virginia Green profile of your facility
  • Increase patronage by environmental groups and environmentally-aware customers
  • Save $$$ through cost savings measures

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THE CVB IS A PARTNER OF CGA

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Sustainability Programs

- If your business wants to become more sustainable and eco-friendly, look at the progra... ‣‣ More

VisitVirginiaBeach.com/CVB is an official website for the Virginia Beach Convention & Visitors Bureau
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