Published on : Wednesday, April 30, 2014
As one of Australia’s most environmentally responsible function centres, the Adelaide Convention Centre is perfectly positioned to host the world’s premier international cycling conference next month.
Velo-City will be held from May 27-30 with an overarching responsibility to promote the greater use of bicycles in cities as an environmentally-friendly mode of transport.
The Adelaide Convention Centre is already creating a cycling culture of its own, with a number of staff choosing bikes over cars for their daily commute to and from work. The Centre has held bike safety programs, provides bike storage facilities and showers for staff that choose cycling as their preferred mode of transport.
And sustainability extends well beyond cycling at the Centre.
Not only was the Centre the first in the country to use earthworms to recycle its organic waste, it has reduced its water consumption by 1.3 million litres a year (or three Olympic sized swimming pools) and donated more than 90,000 spare meals to charities through its association with Foodbank and OzHarvest.
What’s more, it’s gained Gold Certification under the globally recognised EarthCheck environmental program – making it one of only a few centres in the world that perform consistently above best practice in seven key areas of natural resource and use reduction.
Adelaide Convention Centre Chief Executive Alec Gilbert said the Centre’s commitment to sustainability was important when hosting world-class events such as Velo-City.
“I’m extremely proud to be able to say to Velo-City delegates that the Adelaide Convention Centre is now among the world leaders in terms of sustainability when they arrive in May,” he said.
“Our clients, like us, are committed to ensuring their event is environmentally conscious.”
The Centre achieved its Gold Certification following five years of Silver Certification and the implementation of a number of innovative sustainability measures. Each of these measures has had a real impact on minimising the Centre’s environmental footprint.
The onsite worm farm was established in 2008 and its worms have since eaten more than 19 tonnes of kitchen scraps – saving them from landfill.
A BiobiN, composed of composting vessels within an aeration system, has been situated at the Centre since mid-2006 and has resulted in 19 tonnes of organic waste being recycled.
Water use has been minimised by 10.7 per cent with the implementation of low volume, high-pressure spray taps as well as water sensor taps which save close to 700ml per wash.
Partnerships with Foodbank SA and OzHarvest Adelaide ensure that any surplus meals from events are put to good use – with more than 90,000 disadvantaged and homeless South Australians receiving meals from the Convention Centre through these partnerships to date.
“It takes passion, commitment, innovation, proactivity and initiative from the entire team to achieve better sustainability results,” Mr Gilbert said.
“We’ve worked hard to create a culture within the organisation that encourages everyone to make a contribution.”
Source:-Adelaide Convention Centre
Tags: Adelaide Convention Centre
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