ORLANDO, FLA.—The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) announced that it has been awarded Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Gold (EBOM) certification from The Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), an arm of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). OCCC’s North-South Building is the largest convention center in the world to achieve LEED EBOM Gold certification.
“Central Florida is now home to the world’s largest LEED EBOM Certified convention center,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO & founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council.” “This accomplishment demonstrates unprecedented leadership from Orange County and its convention center in response to one of the most important challenges of our time; addressing economic, environmental, social and cultural issues in a sustainable manner.”
“Achieving LEED certification underlines our commitment to leadership in sustainability from a local and global perspective,” said Kathie Canning, OCCC executive director. “Thanks to the dedication of the entire convention center staff and the unwavering support of Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and the ecoPreserve Team, we are now the largest convention center in the world to reach this goal.” Because of the size of the convention center and impact on the local economy, it was our obligation and our desire to minimize the environmental and human health impact of our operations.”
‘Crucial’ Investment in County’s Future
“Considering the extraordinary importance to Orange County’s economy of attracting meetings and conventions from around the world, the commitment to achieving LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certified status for our convention center is a crucial investment in our county’s future,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. “On behalf of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, I congratulate everyone involved in the complex process of transforming our convention center into a LEED for Existing Buildings Gold certified facility.”
“We are committed to providing a quality of life to our children, grandchildren, and future generations that is even better than today,” said former Orange County Commissioner John Martinez and the current Chair of the Orange County Sustainability Committee. “That is why this new status is an important next step in our road to creating a community sustainability plan.”
“The demand for green meetings and sustainable convention facilities continues to grow and our convention center is a premier venue for location, size and sustainability,” added George Aguel, president and CEO, Visit Orlando.
“We take the approach that sustainability is more than energy efficiency; it’s actually a cultural shift toward environmental responsibility and leadership,” said Jan Addison, OCCC deputy general manager. Abby Gulden, OCCC sustainability coordinator, noted that “sustainability is a core staff value, and we have incorporated sustainability into our mission.”
Go to the Orange County Convention Center.
