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New USGBC Report Shines Light on Meeting Venue Best Practices

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Glenn Hasek

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently released its LEED in Motion: Venues report. Like Greenview’s Green Venue Report, the LEED in Motion: Venues report shines a light on the green best practices of convention centers. Unique to the LEED in Motion: Venues report is its focus on other venues such as sports venues, performing arts centers, community centers and public assembly spaces. Each of the LEED certified convention centers featured in the report are impressive in their own way. Be sure to take a look at this recent report.

Convention centers, sports venues and the other types of meeting spaces can be huge consumers of energy and water. They also can be huge producers of waste. And, this chunk of the U.S. economy is not getting smaller. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of conventions and events is expected to expand by 44 percent from 2010 to 2020—far outpacing the average projected growth of other industries.

USGBC says venues certifying to LEED standards benefit significantly from that commitment. They enjoy increased cost savings, decreased annual operating costs and a higher return on investment overall.

The LEED in Motion: Venues report puts a spotlight on four convention centers: the Los Angeles Convention Center, Virginia Beach Convention Center, Qatar National Convention Center Extension, and Shanghai 2010 Expo Center.

Water Efficiency a Focus in Los Angeles

At the Los Angeles Convention Center, approximately 470,000 gallons of water per year are saved due to water efficiency projects, including replacing 30,000 square feet of lawn with drought-tolerant vegetation, installing waterless urinals, and replacing conventional toilets with low-flow toilets.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center reduced annual electricity consumption by 6 percent last year through ongoing HVAC commissioning and conversion of the exhibit hall to 100 percent LED lighting.

At the Qatar National Convention Center Extension, the interior is built to integrate maximum insulation with the exterior construction to minimize energy usage (with up to 12 percent of the center’s energy needs provided by over 3,500 square meters of solar panels).

The Shanghai 2010 Expo Center achieved LEED Gold by implementing sustainable strategies such as a vegetable roof garden, rainwater recycling system, LED lighting, water source heat pumps, high-efficiency water-use fittings and irrigation. The project achieved 82.5 percent annual total water savings and a 93 percent reduction in storm water runoff volume.

If you are looking to better communicate your own venue’s environmental efforts and better be prepared when submitting proposals to potential customers, be sure to check out The Green Venue Selection Guide: Integrating LEED Into Travel & Event Management. It is linked to in the LEED in Motion: Venues report.

Green Lodging News Adds Catalytic PURE AIR LLC as Directory Partner

Green Lodging News welcomes Catalytic PURE AIR as a Green Product & Service Directory partner. The Catalytic PURE AIR purifier uses eco-friendly PCO (photo catalytic oxidation) technology and HEPA filtration to reduce airborne contaminants and odors. These air purifiers are currently being used in hotel rooms, meeting spaces and public areas in major hotels to keep guests breathing easier. Improving indoor air quality is a trend of keen interest to guests with respiratory issues and operators focused on wellness. Call (800) 989-8299 or (775) 391-3188, or e-mail jim@catalyticpureair.com for more information.

Green Lodging News Adds Brighton Management as Trends Report Supporter

Green Lodging News welcomes Brighton Management as a supporter of the Green Lodging Trends Report. The Green Lodging Trends Report is the lodging industry’s annual exercise to assess and catalyze green innovation, best practices, and awareness regarding the state of sustainability across hotels worldwide. This year’s Green Lodging Trends Report will summarize the results of a second annual survey produced by Green Lodging News and Greenview.

Based in Newport Beach, Calif., Brighton Management is a leading hotel management company operating over 50 hotel properties, totaling over 10,000 rooms, across the United States. Brighton is an award-winning, preferred management company for major hotel brands such as Marriott, IHG, Hilton, Starwood, and Wyndham. Brighton specializes in hotel operations, revenue management, and commercial development. Since 2014, Brighton has been recognized by Southern California Edison and IHG for being an industry leader in hotel energy efficiency.

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