France’s National Convention Bureau and Toronto’s Exhibition Place have both signed the #NetZeroCarbonEvents pledge, the international initiative to address climate change. The stated goal is to reduce GHG emissions by 2030 and to go to net zero GHG by 2050.
“I'm thrilled to announce that Exhibition Place has joined the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge. With more than 100 signatories, making this the most global and inclusive collaborative action tackling the challenges of climate change within the events sector,” said general manager, Exhibition Place Laura Purdy.
Exhibition Place boasts the award-winning LEED Platinum Enercare Centre, Canada's largest exhibition and convention centre, and the Beanfield Centre LEED Silver conference venue.
Since 2004, Exhibition Place has undertaken an environmental stewardship initiative, entitled GREENSmart, which includes the promotion of sustainable development, environmental initiatives and leading-edge green technologies and practices across the site.
“We are proud to be united with a global network of events and industry players to fight climate change, with the ultimate goal of eliminating the industry's greenhouse gas emission by 2050,” said Exhibition Place CEO Don Boyle.
Exhibition Place has a Geothermal Plant installed on its site, which leverages the nearly constant temperature below the earth (regardless of the season) to heat and cool buildings. The Geothermal Plant saves 110,000 kilowatt-hours per year of electricity and over 15,000 cubic metres of natural gas, resulting in a combined savings of approximately $18,000 and a reduction of carbon emissions by 34 tonnes.
At Exhibition Place, two green roof pilot projects successfully reduce HVAC costs in underlying structures, improve site stormwater management, and ultimately reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
The Wind Turbine located on the waterfront at Exhibition Place, installed in 2002, became the first urban wind turbine in North America, an initiative by Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative (TREC) and Toronto Hydro Energy Services. It can generate up to one million kilowatt-hours of power per year, which results in annual savings of approximately $120,000. It also helps displace some of the harmful chemicals responsible for smog and acid rain.
The next step of the Net Zero Carbon Events initiative is to develop the roadmap which will support the objectives outlined in the pledge. More information about the initiative at www.netzerocarbonevents.org
