Los Angeles Convention Center leads in sustainability initiatives

The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) has taken a global lead in sustainability initiatives over the past year, most recently announcing a straw ban during a sustainability presentation at the National League of Cities (NLC) City Summit on 9th November.

The United States uses over 500 million plastic straws every day, with a significant number of these straws ending up polluting oceans and killing marine life.

Now, the LACC, in partnership with in-house caterer Taste of LA by Levy Restaurants, will cease the use of 250,000 straws annually with paper straws to be used only for blended coffee beverages until other solutions are accessible.

Matthew Brown, General Manager of Taste of LA by Levy at the LACC, explains “one of the best ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by removing waste wherever possible.

“Our goal has been to function 100% straw-free. One year ago, we eliminated straws from catering, which serves as 80% of our business. Removing straws from our cafes and kiosks was the last piece of the puzzle.”

Owned by the City of Los Angeles and managed by AEG Facilities, the LACC has recently implemented additional sustainability initiatives.

In August the facility upgraded to water and energy efficient dishwashers, saving an estimated 1.3 million gallons of water annually. Last month the LACC started a project replacing 330 faucets in guest restrooms; 0.5 gallon per minute (GPM) faucets are being upgraded to 0.35 GPM units, which will save approximately 415,000 gallons of water annually.

In April it unveiled a 2.21 megawatt solar array on the roof of South Hall, making it the largest solar array on a municipally owned convention centre in the United States.

Starting in October 2017, the six-month project included the construction of 6,228 panels at 355 watts each. The new array is projected to generate 3.4 million kilowatt hours per year that equates to 17% of the LACC’s annual energy usage. This amount of electricity produced can power 565 homes in Los Angeles.

LACC General Manager, Ellen Schwartz commented “environmental sustainability is embedded in the LACC’s culture and permeates every aspect of our day-to-day operations.

“It is exciting to continually launch new initiatives at events like NLC City Summit that impact communities all over the country.”

The LACC is a busy facility welcoming 2.5 million visitors annually.