2015 Greenbuild Sustainability Report Released

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Informa Exhibitions U.S., Construction and Real Estate have released the 2015 Greenbuild Sustainability Report, highlighting valuable metrics and key benchmarks regarding the impact on energy use and waste management at the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo.

“The Greenbuild Sustainability Report showcases the hard work and dedication we bring to our efforts to reduce waste and energy use, address our carbon footprint and engage our many stakeholders leading up to and during Greenbuild,” said Kate Hurst, vice president, community advancement, conferences and events for USGBC. "As we hosted Greenbuild for the first time ever in our hometown, Washington, D.C., we were proud to leave a legacy of collective accomplishment behind. Greenbuild is a time for our entire community and industry to come together around our ideals, to demonstrate our commitment to the cause of green building for all within this generation, and to inspire others to acknowledge that even small changes in behavior can have a significant and meaningful impact when undertaken collaboratively.”

The report shares the progress of seven sustainability objectives at Greenbuild, including the following highlights:

Waste management: Informa Exhibitions, USGBC, Aramark, Centerplate/NBSE, Freeman and local haulers worked together to optimize waste management strategies, resulting in an overall 84% diversion rate. This was a 52% increase over the convention center’s baseline diversion rate.
Stakeholder engagement: New in 2015 was an interactive greening wall that allowed attendees to learn more about specific sustainability initiatives. The display was an LCD, Energy Star-certified touchscreen located next to a miniature green wall. The Greenbuild team engages its vendors in a three-phase sustainability planning process in the year leading up to the show to set and meet conference sustainability goals.
Sustainable sourcing: Thanks to the efforts of the Centerplate Team at the Washington Convention Center, 33% of the food served at the convention center was sourced locally (within 100 miles) and 70% of the food was sourced regionally (within 500 miles).
Performance tracking: USGBC and Informa collected post-show sustainability reports from vendors and partners and improved information collection in attendee registration to more accurately calculate our carbon footprint.
Greenhouse gas emissions: For the second year, Greenbuild showcased the “Net Zero Zone”—a 3,200-square-foot pavilion powered by solar panels, installed on-site at the Washington Convention Center.
Community impact: The 2015 Greenbuild Legacy Project, led by USGBC National Capital Region and the Greenbuild Host Committee, was an Urban Food Studio at the Capital Area Food Bank (CAFB).
Hospitality industry: This year, Greenbuild hosted a “Greenbuild Behind the Scenes: Sustainable Event Tour” to showcase the show’s sustainability efforts to hospitality professionals.