As the world marks 50 years of celebrating Earth Day, old challenges remain, but so do vast opportunities for the future.
Large event venues like convention centers and arenas have a unique opportunity to contribute.
Take a moment to assess how your building measures up with this checklist.
Certification and Policies
- Has your building achieved environmental certifications, such as ISO 14001, ENERGY STAR, LEED, BOMA 360 or other third-party verified programs?
- Does your building have a written sustainability policy, including accessibility provisions?
Energy
- Does your facility turn off lights and HVAC in rooms when not in use, either manually or through scheduling?
- Do you adjust HVAC and lighting to seasonally appropriate levels and schedules?
- Does your building use energy efficient lighting in meeting rooms, foyers and halls?
- Have you designated and enforced “no idling zones” at the key access points?
- Do you conduct audits of energy use to measure and improve efficiency?
- Do you offer electric hand dryers in public washrooms?
- Does your building purchase green or renewable energy (solar, wind, tidal)?
Water
- Do you use low-flow toilets and/or dual flush toilets in restrooms?
- Are there sensors on your faucets, taps and urinals?
- Does your building have a system for rainwater and greywater re-utilization?
- Do you sweep (and not spray) parking lots, sidewalks and driveways when cleaning?
- Do you monitor water use with meters, and can you provide data if requested?
Waste
- Do you have a recycling program to recycle glass, aluminum, plastic, paper, grease and electronic waste?
- Do you provide collection bins, facilities, staffing and training necessary to recycle all glass containers, aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles, pallets, paper (newspaper, cardboard and other office paper) and e-waste?
- Does your building have a system for composting?
- Do you have a policy to reduce and reuse where possible and appropriate?
- Is your building’s staff trained to implement environmental policies and practices in regard to minimizing waste?
- Do you have a donation program for materials that are not used?
[Related: Sustainable Meetings: How 4 Cities Make It Easy to Go Green in 2019]
Environmental Purchases
- Do you have a written policy to purchase sustainable options for all items procured within your operations?
- Have you purchased bathroom paper products that include recycled content of at least 35%?
- Do you purchase environmentally responsible cleaning products for carpet, floors, kitchens and bathrooms?
- Do you purchase environmentally responsible paints that have low VOC emissions and dispose of this product responsibly?
- Do you use humane and environmentally responsible options for pest control?
- Do you request that vendors have environmentally responsible practices?
While this list covers environmental practices, promoting labor practices that guarantee fair and equitable treatment of staff in a safe work environment should also be taken into consideration.
If your building venue ticks all the boxes, congratulations!
If not, this is an excellent time to set forth a plan to use the planet’s resources wisely following the golden anniversary of Earth Day.
Read next: How Chicago’s McCormick Place Diverts Almost 100% of its Food Waste
