Green By Practice

Many pre-green convention centers are making great strides in operating sustainably.

By Andrea Doyle
August 10, 2010

The number of convention centers adding green features is dizzying. New centers are being built with rooftop solar panels, high-efficiency lights, reduced wastewater, and many more green features.

But while design is important, operating procedure is critical in ensuring an event is truly green, according to Nancy J. Wilson, CMP, principal of Portland, OR-based MeetGreen, a conference management and consulting firm that specializes in green meetings.

"I've seen instances where a beautiful green building has been built but they don't operate it sustainably," discloses Wilson. "They are not connecting the dots when it comes to operation. When I'm looking at a convention center, it's great if it's LEED certified, but I'm particularly looking at how they operate the facility."

And that is where many facilities designed before green became popular are shining.

It's Not All About Design

An increasing number of convention centers are putting sustainable practices at the heart of management. These are operational and business practices that lessen adverse environmental impact, benefit the local community, and make economic sense.

"Existing buildings can just as easily be as green as newly constructed buildings," explains Marie Coleman of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), which developed the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings.

The LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) Rating System helps building owners and operators of existing buildings measure operations, improvements, and maintenance, with the goal of maximizing operational efficiency while minimizing environmental impacts.

"Many would argue greening existing buildings is the greenest type of construction as it starts with a building that is already built, versus the inevitable impacts associated building anew from the ground up," says Coleman.

Of the 26 convention/conference centers that have achieved LEED certification thus far, six have been certified under LEED for Existing Buildings and two under LEED for Commercial Interiors (which is for performing interior retrofits). When you compare that to the overall commercial trend of New Construction (3,150) versus Existing Building (649) certified projects, the trend for convention centers seems to be on par with the overall LEED growth.

The bottom line is that existing convention centers can become just as eco-friendly as those built green. "They should consider undergoing energy efficiency retrofits, invest in a facility-wide greening and recycling program, and explore LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation and Maintenance to verify that their greening efforts are among the most stringent and beneficial to the environment," adds Coleman.

San Francisco Gets It

"Suddenly, green is in," declares Kathleen Hennesey, recycling manager at San Francisco's Moscone Center, about today's conventions. "We're not leading groups anymore; they have become much more proactive about the environment."

There was a time when groups wanted recycling containers hidden off to the side. Not anymore. Take Moscone West. Brightly colored recycling stations with three containers per unit are placed throughout the center, with specific signs explaining each.

The green containers are for composting, black containers for waste, and blue for recycling.

"Groups want these containers visible," adds Hennesey. "Plus, there is a lot more planning, goal setting, and measurement today. Many groups also want a diversion report. This is an exciting new trend in the industry."

According to Wilson, the Moscone Center is one of the most impressive environmentally friendly convention centers in the country.

The Moscone Center, managed by SMG, generates an average of 2,000 tons of waste per year. Almost half of the convention center's waste stream is generated at the event move-out stage from exhibit halls. During breakdown, exhibitors receive color-coded stickers from Moscone's recycling team. Items that are being recycled get a green sticker; items being donated get blue. The Moscone Center has been a frontrunner in waste diversion with its overall recycling rate exceeding 50 percent since 1998.

"I have visited some centers that have the right intentions but are fighting against a lack of city infrastructure. Just the opposite is true in San Francisco, one of the greenest cities in the world," proclaims Wilson.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has led the charge on greening the city. San Francisco's recycling rate is an impressive 72 percent, and Newsom projects that it will meet its goal of 75 percent this year.

His advice to tourists: Skip the Golden Gate Bridge and cable cars and head over to the city's recycling center on Pier 96. "You've never seen anything like it," he exclaims. "It's world-class, extraordinary."

Single-serve water bottles on city land or at events licensed by the city are in the process of being banned by San Francisco's Environment Commission. Instead, it's suggested that venues and events offer reusable water bottles and access to the city's tap water. This follows an executive order implemented by Newsom that bans city money from being used to buy bottled water for its employees. Also banned in the city are plastic shopping bags and Styrofoam takeout containers.

The Moscone Center has one of the nation's largest city-owned solar installations in the country that, combined with energy savings from energy efficient lighting under the roof, over the project's lifetime, will reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 34,000 tons-or the equivalent of removing 7,000 cars from Bay Area roads for one year.

The Moscone Center provides planners with an Exhibitor Green Guide that includes questions that should be addressed. They include:

• Pre-event planning: Set measurable goals like reducing your paper usage, and communicate the message to your vendors and exhibitors, and during the event, to your attendees. Ask your contractor, what is new and green? Today, carpet, signboards, and exhibit booths can all be made with sustainable materials. Also, choose graphics that are undated so they can be reused from year to year.

• During the event: Recycle your cardboard boxes; put bottles and cans into recycling bins.

• After the event closes: Label unwanted show literature and leftover merchandise for donation.

The Moscone Center's Meeting Professionals' Green Guide includes tips on how to choose greener materials for your event. For instance, event corrugated plastic booth walls can be made with 65 percent recycled plastic food and soda bottles.

The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau is also in on the effort and has a green meetings program that is available on its web site, www.onlyinsanfrancisco. com by clicking on "Green Meetings."

Virginia Green

Virginia is a state that is focused on green initiatives with a state-run designation that is available, "Virginia Green Convention & Conference Center." What does it take to be a Virginia Green Convention Center? At minimum, facilities must commit to:

• Recycling: Aluminum can and plastic bottle recycling are a must. Recycling of steel cans, cardboard, office paper, and composting of waste foods are encouraged as well.

• Minimize the use of disposable food service. When disposable food service items are used, products should be made from bio-based or renewable resources.

• There must be a plan for conserving and using water efficiently. Are there water-saving faucets and an effective landscape watering plan?

• Energy Conservation: There must be a plan in place to reduce overall energy consumption. Lighting should be replaced with energy-efficient alternatives such as compact-fluorescent lighting, LED exit signs, lighting sensors, efficient heating and cooling, and Energy Star kitchen appliances and computers.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center recently accomplished a major achievement as the first convention center in the country to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings. This also signifies the facility as Virginia's largest building to achieve the LEED Gold certified project for Existing Buildings.

In addition, the convention center is in the running against 13 other buildings to win the EPA's first-ever National Building Competition. The competition will determine the most energy-efficient building in the country.

Opened in 2007, the Virginia Beach Convention Center, which totals more than 515,000 square feet, owes its LEED-EB Gold rating to several unique features and programs. In addition to recycling, water conservation, and energy efficiency, the convention center offers ergonomics training for staff; an Environmental Communication Program, which includes an ecoawareness presentation projected onto a 360-foot video wall; and an Energy Management Outreach project.

Olympian Efforts

For many planners, the green practices employed by a convention center are of vital importance. "About one-third of planners ask about our environmental initiatives before we bring them up," explains Jinny Wu of the Vancouver Convention Centre. "Our goal is to raise this topic with every client because we need their support in initiatives such as recycling, accurate food and beverage guarantees to prevent waste and over production, and agreement to have local products and produce on their menus."

The Vancouver Convention Centre is a model of environmental sustainability with green practices ingrained in the center's operating procedures. The center's green design includes a six-acre living roof that houses thousands of indigenous plants and recovers rainwater for irrigation.

Another former host city of the Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, also recently expanded its convention center with sustainability in mind. A few years ago, the Salt Palace Convention Center added 150,000 square feet of meeting space, bringing its total to 670,000 square feet. The expansion was awarded LEED Silver certification, and included such eco-initiatives as rooftop solar panels, drywall made from recycled content, drip irrigation systems, and water-conserving bathroom fixtures.

LEEDers

The David L. Lawrence Convention Center is equipped to handle any and all materials entering the building, from recycling plastics and glass to composting food waste and wooden pallets. Some of the systems in place include a water reclamation system that reduces potable water use by over 50 percent, a natural ventilation system that eliminates the need for artificial heating and cooling of the space, energy use that is optimized through a temperature monitoring system, natural daylight for 75 percent of the exhibit space, and daylight sensors that reduce the need for artificial light.

Another major contender in the green ring is the LEED Silver-rated Phoenix Convention Center, which was built with sustainably harvested wood products, adhesives, sealants, carpeting, and paint with low VOC emissions. There is a solar power plant on top of the roof of the West Building that consists of 732-thin film photovoltaic panels that reduce the convention center's carbon dioxide pollution by 95 metric tons annually and produces enough energy to power the equivalent of 12 to 14 homes each year.

According to Cynthia Weaver of the Phoenix Convention Center, many planners will submit a green survey along with their RFP to request information about its green initiatives. "Our sustainability practices have helped to attract additional green meetings to our facility," she says.

Some of the recent green bookings include the Build It Green Expo that was held in March 2010; U.S. Green Building Council in November 2009: and the National Apartment Association Green Conference held in April 2009.

The Melbourne Convention Centre, which officially opened in June of 2009 proudly states that it is the first convention center in the world to achieve a 6-Star Green Star environmental rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. The center is innovative in its design and operational features.

The Melbourne Convention Centre has an "M Green team" that works with planners to help green events, recommending waste management options, green power solutions, and sustainable menu choices.

The Knoxville Convention Center has undergone a "spring greening" that includes live plants added to the interior of the facility, window tinting to reduce cooling needs, and outdoor landscaping that includes more perennials, which have a lower water requirement compared to annuals.

By now, most Americans have heard and read about the effect global warming is having on the planet. By following the lead the convention center industry is taking and doing our part to cut back and recycle, we can all make a difference.

Originally published Aug. 1, 2010