The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has taken an industry leadership role within Australia over the last few years and committed to reducing their ecological footprint. Through the guidance of their Green Team, established in 2003, the BCEC is undertaking a long list of sustainability initiatives that demonstrate their commitment to addressing their impact socially, economically and environmentally.

These initiatives have resulted in accomplishing impressive Earthcheck Benchmarking Assessments in 2008 and 2009, and achieving above best practice in eight out of ten indicators in 2009.

This year the convention centre made significant improvements to their waste recycling program with the introduction of a new way of separating waste.

Further accomplishments include:

• Reduction in energy consumption of 6.5%, and a reduction in water consumption of 21.6%
• Changing venue escalators to sensor mode: resulting in a 30% reduction in escalator energy usage
• Installation of a Bio Bin to recycle organic material: This will reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill, provides compost for the garden, and creates a potential fuel source for green power generation
• Purchasing 100% Green Power for Centre’s Administration Office

In addition to taking responsibility for the BCEC’s own ecological footprint, the centre shares its wealth of knowledge in sustainability to assist event organizers host environmentally friendly events. Their initiatives include providing an ecological footprint calculator free of charge to event organizers that enables them to choose their level of hosting a ‘green meeting’.

The BCEC is also committed to work practices which engender sustainable values and community focused outcomes. The BCEC Community Engagement Program is at the heart of the Centre’s involvement in its community.

Major components of the Program include:

• Give As You Earn is the BCEC payroll giving project that allows staff to donate directly to charities through payroll deduction. Staff are encouraged to nominate a charity or community organisation to our Community Cabinet.
• Sharing our Resources – Equipment and Food BCEC has been and continues to be a strong supporter of Food Bank in Brisbane whereby surplus food is collected and distributed to people in need. BCEC superseded equipment is also provided to schools and community based organisations for their ongoing use.
• Pathways to Work BCEC has a proud tradition of supporting and promoting employment and education training within the Centre. Successful programs have been undertaken with indigenous trainees and schools and other tertiary institutions within our community. The Centre has supported a number of disability employment agencies for many years by providing employment and training opportunities for their members. Team members employed under this initiative have over 10 years service with the Centre.

For more information on the Brisbane Convention Centre’s sustainability initiatives, please click here.

For more information on EC3 Global’s certification programs, contact EC3 Global.