Name: Linda Baynham
Title: Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Convention Center: New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
Years in Current Position: 2 years, 8 months
Primary Responsibility: “Right now, it is LEED certification. That is what I have been tasked with this year. It brings together everything we are doing. We are trying to be the green convention center in the region.”
Organization’s most significant accomplishment in global corporate responsibility: “I am proud of the energy upgrade we just did.”
Organization’s most significant challenge moving forward in global corporate responsibility: “I think getting LEED certification is going to be big. We are a few points away from Gold. It will show we are a healthy destination. Also, our waste and recycling efforts. We are helping to develop the recycling markets.”
NEW ORLEANS—Just call her Dolly Pie Tin—her signature costume for the Trashformers Mardi Gras parade in New Orleans. That twist on Dolly Parton that she calls herself—and dresses the part in Mardi Gras parades—is just a small part of what Linda Baynham does as volunteer and Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The Center has established a solid reputation for its green efforts over the past few years and Baynham and her teams at the Center are largely responsible.
In mid-April the Center announced that it had completed one of the largest energy-saving initiatives ever undertaken in the region. The ambitious energy efficiency upgrades—including an overhaul of the facility’s lighting and HVAC systems—are expected to save hundreds of thousands of dollars and millions of kilowatt hours, making the facility more sustainable.
“Not only will these energy efficiency upgrades lessen the impact that the Convention Center has on the environment, but they will also improve the experience our guests have when they visit the facility,” Baynham said.
Among several other initiatives, the Center completed the following projects:
- Replaced over 4,000 light fixtures with LEDs in the 1 million sq. ft. exhibit hall;
- Installed over 40 miles of new wiring with over 30,000 man hours of skilled labor;
- Retrofitted more than 2,000 light fixtures throughout the Center’s offices, corridors, and stairwells;
- Replaced four 1,200-ton water cooled chillers with new high efficiency systems;
- Rebuilt the facility’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) plant with a new control room and operations center;
- Installed more than 60 energy-efficient water bottle filling stations; and
- Upgraded 36 sets of restrooms with low-flow fixtures.
Reflective Roof on the Way
Through these projects, the Convention Center awarded $11 million in contracts to small and emerging businesses (SEBs) in the community and participated in Energy Smart, a comprehensive energy efficiency program developed by Entergy and the New Orleans City Council. Although much has been completed, there will be more improvements to come. The Convention Center is currently investigating electric vehicle charging stations, solar power options, and plans to install a reflective roof to further reduce both energy use and the heat island effect, the significantly hotter temperatures common in urban areas as compared to surrounding rural landscapes.
“It was great to partner with Energy Smart,” Baynham says, adding that the new light fixtures in the exhibit hall—the lighting equivalent of five WalMarts—almost doubled the Center’s savings. “It is brighter, and we can have multiple colors,” Baynham adds.
In search of additional energy-saving opportunities, a Level II Energy Audit was just done. “We are waiting for the results,” says Baynam, adding that the Center uses different tracking systems for energy, including Energy Star Portfolio Manager and Entronix energy meters.
Just as it has made progress in reducing its energy consumption, so too has the Center reduced its waste generation. “Last year the main theme was ‘talking trash,’” Baynham says. “We have a TRUE waste team and five people in facilities have passed the test to become TRUE advisors. We just doubled the footprint of our recycling program to include another million square feet. Back of house, we improved our pallet program. Bottle stations have been placed throughout our facility. A total of 65,000 reusable bottles were filled in the first quarter. We have a pilot program to collect plastic wrap and are now sending it to our recycling stream.”
Most of the Center’s food-ware is made of biodegradable materials. Food donations are made to local partners, such as Bethel Community and Second Harvest Food Bank.
First Ever Event Waste Audit
Last November, the Center completed their first ever Event Waste Audit, as part of the LEED qualification process. During the Specialty Coffee Expo on October 1, Center employees (dubbed “The Trash Team”) went through over 400 pounds of a representative sample of waste materials to evaluate how well the building is diverting materials from landfills. A mix of trash, recycling, and composting bins were collected over a 24-hour period and then sorted by hand into groups (e.g. metals, plastics, compostables, landfill waste, etc.) to determine whether all materials were placed in their proper collection bins.
The audit demonstrated that over 52 percent of the total waste by weight was properly diverted from the landfill, according to Bradley Vogel, of SIG, the Convention Center’s LEED consultant. While this figure is commendable for the newly implemented waste diversion program, SIG provided a Waste Audit report with recommendations and next steps on how the facility can continue to improve their waste management program.
From a water management standpoint, a 7-acre Pedestrian Park outside the facility manages storm water in rain gardens planted with native Louisiana wetland plants.
In late March, the Center was awarded the Love Your City Award in the Best Overall category. The Center was recognized for improvements to its energy usage, waste reduction efforts, new green infrastructure, and more. In total, 10 areas of impact were measured and judged by a panel who deemed the Center to be one of the best companies in New Orleans in their commitments to the sustainability of their facility and the environmental health of New Orleans.
“This award celebrates our determination to reduce our impact on the environment. It is not only important to our community but expected by our clients who bring thousands of visitors to New Orleans annually,” says Convention Center President Michael J. Sawaya. “The kind of cutting-edge improvements we are making, such as our change to LED lights in our exhibit halls, or the construction of our new environmentally-friendly pedestrian park, means that our ambitious $557 million dollar Capital Improvement Plan is already paying dividends for us and the city of New Orleans.”
Top Workplace Five Years Running
Last summer, the Center was honored with the coveted New Orleans Top Workplaces 2021 Award by The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. The award is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner, Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey uniquely measures 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization including alignment, execution, and connection. It was the fifth year the Center has been recognized with this award.
Baynham holds an M.B.A. in Finance from Tulane University, an M.S. in Energy Policy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in physics from Colorado College. She is a LEED Accredited Professional, a Certified Energy Manager and a GPRO Green Building Operations Trainer. In 2021, she became certified as a TRUE Waste Advisor.
When asked what she enjoys most about her job, Baynham said, “I liked working with the Love Your City award. Also the LEED certification. I am learning so many different things—green pest management, purchasing. I love working with the teams.”
Glenn Hasek can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
