GCCEC wins EarthCheck Award
Australia’s Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre (GCCEC) has been awarded the EarthCheck Platinum award for social and environmental sustainability, making it one of the first venues in the world to do so.
The certification honours ten consecutive years of “best practice in sustainability,” and was awarded to the GCCEC and fellow Australian conference space Adelaide Convention Centre. According to EarthCheck, earning the award requires “strong leadership and innovation,” in key social and environmental areas.
Speaking about the announcement, Stewart Moore, CEO and founder of EarthCheck, says, “To achieve this high level of certification not only speaks to their individual and enduring commitment to sustainable practices, but also highlights Australia’s sustainability leadership on the global stage.
“Both Gold Coast and Adelaide Convention Centres ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to sustainability and they continue to play a vital role in conservation and community initiatives.”
“Both Gold Coast and Adelaide Convention Centres ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to sustainability and they continue to play a vital role in conservation and community initiatives.”
GCCEC’s work in reducing its emissions was highlighted as being particularly impressive. According to the venue, its Building Management System reduces energy consumption by up to 50% in off-peak periods. This, along with the replacement of 350 lights with LED equivalents, has resulted in emission savings “equivalent to taking 515 cars off the road.”
Additionally, EarthCheck commended GCCEC for their efforts to minimise food wastage onsite. Since 2014, more than 4,800 kilograms of food has been donated to members of the Gold Coast community in need in partnership with OzHarvest, according to EarthCheck’s report.
Commenting on the accolade, Adrienne Readings, general manager of GCCEC says, “We work extremely hard on our waste, water and energy-saving initiatives to reduce our impact on the environment and give back to the community.
“It’s an honour to be recognised by the world’s leading scientific benchmarking, certification and advisory group for travel and tourism. ”
Upcoming concerts at the GCCEC include Australian vocal group Human Nature’s Little More Love Tour, Croatian cellist duo 2CELLOS’s The Score & More Tour and former Talking Heads frontman David Byrne’s American Utopia Tour. More information on upcoming music shows can be found on the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre website.
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