How green can you go?

Some cities and covention centers are betting that their ecological mind-set will appeal to an eclectic crowd.

WHEN PITTSBURGH'S DAVID L. LAWRENCE CONVENTION CENTER CLOSED FOR business in June 2001, it faced not so much a demolition as a reincarnation. According to Rebecca Flora, executive director of Pittsburgh--based Green Building Alliance--an adviser to the city's new green convention center--about 80 percent of the former structure is being recycled. This includes crushing large portions of concrete on site to use as fill material and separating and sorting all metals for recycling.

When the new center is complete in March 2003, it will bear the same name and some of the same components but with a brand new composition--one that maximizes the efficiencies of its natural surroundings. In addition to using skylights to reduce energy costs, Pittsburgh is creating a building that breathes--incorporating a sloped roof to take advantage of airflow off the Allegheny River to naturally cool and ventilate the building throughout the day. Savings from the use of natural light and air alone are projected at hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

A few states away in Tennessee, the Chattanooga Convention Center is in the midst of an expansion scheduled for completion in April 2003 that will more than double its overall size and exhibit space. A major tree-planting effort will reduce the centers summer cooling load and become part of the scenery seen from inside. A naturally lit prefunction space and atriums throughout will also blend inside and outside spaces.

Like Pittsburgh, Chattanooga is incorporating natural light and systems to reduce and reuse water consumption. In addition to a wastewater treatment system to produce a water supply for exterior landscaping, the city has agreed to install an underground rainwater lake across the street from the center's expansion. All the water collected from the center's roof--an estimated 7 million gallons a year--will be routed to this lake and used by the city for irrigation. Other green measures include an energy management system to control temperature and lighting in both the remodeled sections of the center as well as its expansion. This same system will be capable of fully recycling the building's air within 10 minutes depending on outside air temperature and humidity.

Both these cities and their respective convention centers are leading what by all indications could become a hot meetings industry trend: ecologically minded convention sites. While an appeal to resource conservation may not be what brings all groups to a green convention center, certain features and their proposed side benefits may tempt them anyway.

Let the sun shine in

Both Pittsburgh's David L. Lawrence center and the Chattanooga Convention Center are incorporating a green building design element known as day-lighting in their exhibit spaces. This use of natural lighting and filters to soften and diffuse the sun's rays and even its temperature is supposed to boost the mood and attentiveness of patrons and increase their buying appetite--a welcome perk for exhibitors.

While largely untested in the convention hall arena, a study cited by believers in the benefits of daylighting was conducted several years ago by the consulting firm Heschong Mahone Group of Fair Oaks, California, on behalf of the California State Board for Energy Efficiency and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. The purpose: to determine the correlation between daylighting and human productivity. One part of the study analyzed sales performance of a chain retailer with more than 100 stores where two thirds of the stores incorporated skylighting and one third did not. Monthly gross sales for each store were averaged during an 18-month period and compared. Everything else being equal, the study concluded that stores without skylighting could likely experience on average a 40 percent increase in sales with the addition of skylights. (See the "Resources" sidebar on page 62 for a link to the full study.)

Pittsburgh's daylighting plans include skylights with exterior blackout shades as well as windows from the south and west with special glazing and shading devices. "The blackout shades will provide flexibility so that groups can essentially turn off the natural light if they require a dark-lit space," explains Flora.

Chattanooga's center will incorporate a lighting technology called photovoltaics throughout all exhibit space and some meeting rooms. Sunlight will filter through panels in the ceiling that have sensors to monitor the brightness. According to Mike Shuford, the center's sales and marketing director, this system will be adjustable to preference so that groups can have all natural lighting, all artificial, or a combination. Projected savings in energy costs are as much as 40 percent when using natural lighting versus artificial, says Shuford.

How much these hefty operational savings will translate into better bargains for associations remains to be seen, though logic suggests that in an age of unpredictable energy costs and availability, centers that can lower their consumption will automatically increase their competitiveness quotient. Will more centers follow suit? If what's occurring in some corners of government is any indication, the likelihood is good.

Government-backed greening

Increasingly, city and state governments and federal agencies are recognizing that green development is a smart pursuit, in part because of the potential for big savings over time. For instance, the Department of the Navy now requires all facilities to incorporate design principles for increased energy efficiency and water conservation as well as use of materials with recycled content. And earlier this year, the U.S. General Services Administration became the first federal member of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Washington, D.C., a national coalition of leaders from across the building industry whose mission is to accelerate the adoption of green building practices, technologies, policies, and standards.

Pennsylvania provides a prime example of state-driven green initiatives. It allocated $150 million for the development of Pittsburgh's new convention center contingent on it being a green building project. And the project has been nothing if not intentionally green from the outset. Green design requirements have been included in all aspects of the center's RFP process. From the beginning, the center's planning committee set its sights on achieving gold-level certification from USGBC's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System. The LEED system evaluates environmental performance throughout a building's life cycle and considers, among other things, site selection, water and energy efficiencies, and use of materials. These standards are nothing new to Pittsburgh, which already has several other LEED-certified buildings under its belt and is recognized as a national leader in the green building movement.

The demand for green building is certain to increase, bolstered in part by the dollars cities and states are willing to allocate to encourage cost- and resource-efficient development. But will this translate into an increased demand by associations and other groups to meet in green facilities because they're green?

Green meeting specs

All things being equal, Robert Imperata, executive vice president of the Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau, contends more groups will choose a green building. "There will always be the need to select a destination with an adequate number of sleeping rooms, but once planners meet their main criteria, they'll also look to match their environmental priorities," believes Imperata. He cites an informal survey conducted several years ago of members of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Dallas. The survey indicated that 25 percent of respondents had some level of practice or policies in place for producing environmentally responsible meetings. (See "How Green Are You?" in the resources sidebar.)

"If the statistic is still 25 percent 15 years from now, that may not be so impressive," says Imperata. "But at this stage, for an initiative with a relatively new push, I think 25 percent is an overwhelming indication that planners are accepting green meeting initiatives as part of their priorities."

Ed Griffin, CAE, MPI's president and chief executive officer, agrees, though he cautions that all things being equal are always the operative words with regard to whether a planner chooses one site over another. "Most planners would probably opt for an environmentally sensitive meeting facility, but only after they've addressed all other major concerns," says Griffin. And, other countervailing forces may intervene, he notes. These include pressures planners face to provide diversity in geographic meeting locations and to stay at or under budget with their choices.

Other needs include ADA compliance, ease of air and ground transportation, and a good mix of social and cultural options. These, in addition to concerns already named, are part of the site selection criteria of Pittsburgh's Air & Waste Management Association. A&WMA does have an environmental advisory committee and includes environmentally conscious programming as one of its overall meeting goals, says Adrianne Carolla, CAE, A&WMA senior director of meetings, education, and sales. The association has already booked its hometown's new ecominded center for its 2007 annual conference and exhibition. But the association won't turn its back on a city or center that doesn't boast an environmental program, says Carolla. Rather, A&WMA's environmental advisory committee will work with center and hotel staff to see how they can accomplish association goals such as recycling while members are in town.

Selling green

How well will green ultimately sell? Pittsburgh's "Green is Groovy" marketing campaign suggests this city thinks green is a major selling point. "There's really no downside to marketing a green facility," says Imperata.

Likewise, Chattanooga plans a marketing splash. The center's prefunction space will include a series of exhibits that tell about sustainable building design--an approach that considers the bigger, long-term picture of social, environmental, and economic health. In addition to hopes for boosting convention business, a primary thrust of the center is educational--to provide an example of applying environmental principles to build for today while taking the future into account," says Jennye Miller, director of convention sales and development for the Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. This lesson is intended as much for Chattanooga's youth as for its out-of-town visitors, notes Miller. "We don't want future generations to take for granted the hard work of urban and environmental revitalization."

If Chattanooga and Pittsburgh seem a bit proud about their new green convention centers, it's with good reason. Both hold in common something besides the bold ecological strides each is carving within the meetings market. Each city has intentionally reinvented itself, though their transformations have by no means been instantaneous.

Eco-pioneers

Pittsburgh's renaissance began in post--World War II days, says Imperata. "Once the Industrial push was over and the overwhelming need for steel to support war-time efforts, Pittsburgh started looking at how to continue strong production but within the framework of a clean environment where we would no longer take the shortcuts of dumping our waste." Ever since, Pittsburgh has had city after city chamber of commerce and hordes of commercial developers inquiring about how they can accomplish what Pittsburgh has, says Imperata. "There is a real sense that we are being watched. We're playing the role of pioneer, and for whoever takes the first step, it's always a little risky."

Today, Chattanooga attracts repeat business from groups that go there, in part, because it's so easy to breathe, says Miller. Yet, a little more than 30 years ago, the federal government declared that this Tennessee town had the dirtiest air in the nation. Chattanooga's real turnaround began in the 1980s, when the city mustered its citizens to take a hard look at their home and envision what they wanted Chattanooga to be like in 20 years. As a result of Chattanooga's Vision 2000 community meetings, the city and its citizens made commitments to riverfront cleanup and progress on other environmental, social, and economic issues.

"We'll never be done," admits Miller. "There is no cut-off point for achieving sustainability. It will still be a number of years before we bring back Chattanooga Creek to a thriving body of water, but we don't try to hide that we have a Superfund cleanup site still in process. The point is that we're making progress," says Miller.

One impressive Chattanooga success story is its business-cluster growth initiative to encourage the development of specialty businesses and professions. Health, retirement, and rehabilitation services, as well as insurance, hospitality and tourism, transportation, and even a specialty confectionery and baked goods cluster--these are in turn a selling point for the city in terms of its meetings, says Miller. "We can say to groups in the transportation industry, for instance, 'Come to where there is a concentration of what you do. Come and see our electric shuttle buses that are tested and manufactured here and shipped around the world.'" In this way, Chattanooga has become a living laboratory, says Miller.

Jean Mills appreciates Chattanooga's holistic approach. Mills is meetings coordinator for the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, a network of about 6,000 farmers and 50 supporting organizations spanning a 13-state region. She has booked her group's annual convention twice in Chattanooga, selecting the city in part because she believes it reflects the values of her own organization. "We encourage farming practices that protect the ecosystem and at the same time help farmers make enough money to stay in business," says Mills. She sees Chattanooga's efforts in this same spirit--that of taking reasonable steps in chunks the city can handle. "I appreciate that Chattanooga is making a conscious effort. My hope is that as groups like ours continue to support places like Chattanooga, it will reinforce that value system of looking at the bigger picture," says Mills.

The terms green and environmental can sometimes put blinders on people, believes Miller. During the past two decades, the community of Chattanooga has come to understand that as important as the quality of air and water is the progress made in building a strong economy and social culture. "We don't say come to Chattanooga because our convention center and hotels have implemented energy- and water-saving technologies," says Miller. "We're selling an overall product of quality of life, work, culture, and environment."

And that combination should prove a strong selling point for anyone.

Karla Hignite is a freelance writer based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. E-mail: [e-mail].

RELATED ARTICLE: FROM ONE HOME TO 19,000 ROOMS: ONE HOTEL COMPANY'S SUCCESSFUL GREEN INITIATIVE

Why not extend the savings of home recycling to a home with 19,000 rooms? "In most ways, hotels are like homes. They have laundry facilities, kitchens, beds, and living spaces. They're just a lot bigger," says Ann Layton, vice president of public affairs and communications for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. "Imagine the cost and resource savings you could achieve on that scale."

Layton did. She's the brainchild behind Fairmont's highly successful Green Partnership Program, perhaps the most innovative and holistic companywide environmental program within the hotel industry. It has been 10 years since the program was first introduced throughout Fairmont's Canadian properties, with the goal of reducing the impact of hotel operations on the environment.

The chain has since expanded its program to all its U.S. and Princess properties for a total of 37 luxury and resort hotels throughout the United States, Canada, Bermuda, Barbados, and Mexico. The aim of the program has also since evolved into a comprehensive greening effort that encourages each property to customize its approach to resource savings and to demonstrate innovation in environmental initiatives. The result has produced everything from high-tech lighting systems to rooftop herb gardens to an entire hypoallergenic floor for guests with asthma or allergies.

GREEN PHASE

Properties typically begin with Phase I, a concentrated focus on waste management, energy and water conservation, and responsible purchasing practices, explains Lyle Thompson, Fairmont's manager of environmental affairs. Some property-specific achievements are astounding: an annual saving of $13,000 at one hotel by replacing disposable cutlery and plates in the employee cafeteria with reusable items; a savings of nearly $15,000 at another property by trading disposable paper chef's hats for washable polyester ones; and shaving nearly $80,000 off landfill fees at still another Fairmont property by recycling all cardboard instead of throwing it away.

Phase II initiatives go an even deeper shade of green. These include donations of leftover food to local food banks, recycling of soaps and other room amenities, composting of organic kitchen waste, participation in endangered species programs, and responsible golf course management. All Fairmont golf courses are enrolled in Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System, an accreditation program designed to optimize the use of golf course green space as wildlife habitat.

A social component also exists to Fairmont's Green Partnership through its Adopt A Shelter program, first introduced in Canada in 1996 to channel sheets, towels, beds, and dressers resulting from property renovations to victims of domestic violence and families in need. Properties also work directly with local shelters to donate used soaps and toiletries that would otherwise be discarded.

And finally, groups interested in holding environmentally friendly conferences can take advantage of Fairmont's Eco-Meet program, choosing to focus on one or more of the program's four key components:

* Eco-service: disposable-free food and beverage services and recycling stations in meeting rooms.

* Eco-accommodations: in-room recycling bins, optional sheet and towel replacement, energy-efficient lighting, water-conserving showerheads, and biodegradable soap and recyclable amenities.

* Eco-cuisine: local, seasonal, and organically grown foods and reduced animal protein or vegetarian menu options.

* Eco-programming: low-impact programming such as group day hikes or historical walking tours.

GREEN TEAMS

Layton is convinced that the success of Fairmont's Green Partnership hinges heavily on the company's environmental incentive program. Each property is allowed a 10-person "green team" whose members are elected-thereby making it an honor to serve, says Layton. While teams are presented with company goals, each team is given the freedom to choose its focus and approach. Throughout the year, teams submit descriptions of the initiatives--called trees--that they've incorporated. On a quarterly basis, the best ideas are published so that others can adapt them at their properties if they choose.

"The first year we got about 200 trees," says Layton. "This year, we got more than 1,200." In the end, the team with the most trees wins the coveted title of Green Hotel of the Year. And the winning team receives a weeklong company-paid vacation to a Fairmont Eco-Exchange partner property in the Caribbean.

While focused on helping its own employees get and stay excited about the company's environmental program, Fairmont is also committed to assisting other hotels, schools, and organizations with starting programs of their own, says Thompson. Fairmont recently published the second edition of its Green Partnership Guide (see sidebar, "Resources"), which details the company's program, specific property achievements, and lessons learned during the past decade.

It's no wonder that last year Fairmont was called upon to advise the Salt Lake Organizing committee about implementing a hotel and restaurant greening initiative for the 2002 Winter Games in Utah. In 1994, the International Olympic committee adopted environment as a third principle of the Olympics, along with sport and culture--one indication that an increased demand is emerging within the global meetings market for more successful greening efforts like Fairmont's.

RESOURCES

This listing provides additional information about resources and organizations mentioned within the main article and sidebar.

The Green Partnership Guide: A Practical Guide to Greening Your Hotel (2001, second edition, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Toronto, Ontario, Canada); U.S. $20, $13 for schools and educational groups. To order, call 416-874-2410, or e-mail [e-mail]. This how-to for developing a green program details what you need to start, maintain, and expand an environmental program, including information about reducing operating costs, tracking savings, and motivating employees.

"How Green Are You? Reference and Resource Guide for Activities Supporting a Green Meetings Philosophy," available from the Web site of Meeting Professionals International, Dallas: www.mpiweb.org, (In the search box, key in "green meetings" for a resources page that includes this document.) While not an MPI policy document, this resource is an outgrowth of an MPI Green Meetings task force created in 1998 with a grant from the Canadian Tourism Commission. The guide divides a meeting into its various components and provides recommendations to planners for developing an environmentally responsible meeting.

Skylighting and Retail Sales: An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Day-lighting and Human Performance. This study conducted by consulting firm Heschong Mahone Group, Fair Oaks, California, suggests that retail sales may increase by as much as 40 percent when incorporating natural light in stores. For the full report, go to www.h-m-g.com.

U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, D.C., www.usgbc.org. Formed in 1993, this coalition of more than 800 organizations representing the building industry includes product manufacturers, retailers, building owners, building and design professionals, environmental leaders, and financial industry leaders.

For more information about Pittsburgh's greening efforts, visit the Web sites of Green Building Alliance (www.gbapgh.org) and Greater Pittsburgh Convention and Visitors Bureau (www.planpittsburgh.com).

To learn more about Chattanooga's greening efforts, visit these Web sites: Chattanooga Convention Center (www.chattconvention.org), Chattanooga Area Convention and Visitors Bureau {www.chattanoogacvb.org), and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce (www.chattanoog-chamber.com).