Thinking green (and gold) by setting the pace for sustainable venues with LEED Gold certification
Fresh air The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center’s 1.3-acre sculpture plaza can be converted into a sunny event space.
At the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, sustainability practices have redefined the way the award- winning facility operates and serves guests every day. In fact, the facility has earned LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings as a result of its renewed emphasis on thinking green. “We are positioning ourselves as a ‘LEED-
er’ among convention centers, with a truly state-of-the-art facility in a fantastic destina- tion,” said Nicki E. Grossman, president and CEO of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Conven- tion & Visitors Bureau (GFLCVB). A relatively early adopter of green practic-
es, the center’s first step toward reducing its carbon footprint began with the creation of a multifaceted recycling program in 1992. Fast-
forward to 2008, when the center oficially formed a “Green Team” and began working with Sustainable Options LLC, Green Build- ing Consultants to register the center with the U.S. Green Building Council and begin the LEED-certification process. The exciting news came in August 2012, just after the close of the Summer Olympic Games, when the cen- ter earned a gold medal of its own: LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Gold certification. The venue is the first con- vention center in Florida to earn LEED certi- fication on any level, and one of only three in the United States to achieve LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings. Throughout the past two years, the center
has made leaps and bounds in implement- ing new eco-friendly enhancements. Exte-
rior improvements include new landscaping of indigenous plants and trees as well as upgrades of the building’s front walkways, which are now covered in colorful motifs. The revamped landscape not only is visu- ally appealing, but also substantially reduces irrigation requirements. New sprinklers that use 65 percent less water than the previous system now irrigate the center’s plants, trees, and turf grass, which is much less water- dependent. As a result, the convention cen- ter’s annual water usage has dropped from 10 million gallons to less than 5 million gal- lons just from the use of this new irrigation system. Even the center’s food-and-beverage
team has joined the movement by imple- menting sustainable alternatives. Nicknamed