- Ground-breaking green initiatives applauded by Edmonton City Council

Edmonton City Council formally acknowledged the work of the Shaw Conference Centre (SCC) this morning for its successful adoption of green initiatives. The SCC has been consistently innovative in its efforts to develop Edmonton’s Green Advantage – reducing its own carbon footprint while giving event organizers the opportunity and ability to reduce the environmental impact of their own events.

"It's great to see facilities like the Shaw Conference Centre set a standard for hosting events in an environmentally responsible way,” says Councillor Don Iveson. “By employing sustainable practices and green initiatives, the Shaw is enhancing Edmonton's reputation as a modern, progressive city."

Councillor Iveson also commended the city-owned facility for its successful hosting of the 2009 ICLEI World Congress, held June 14 - 17, where the SCC developed a Green Team in partnership with the City of Edmonton to create a sustainable planning process.Outcomes included the development of an ECO Report Card for the congress as well as a Green Meetings Guide, giving ICLEI organizers the capacity – from conception to completion – to evaluate the environmental impact of their event.

In the fall of 2009, the ECO Report Card will be available to all conference organizers who bring their event to the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton. “We’re also giving them the methodology of how we arrived at the metrics,” says Assistant General Manager Cliff Higuchi. “This means event planners take away the template and now have the ability to assess, on their own, the progress their event is making with any green initiatives they’ve taken on.”

The ECO Report Card is part of the Shaw Conference Centre’s Simple Steps program, implemented in 2008 as a series of strategies and services for sustainable meetings. Under the program, which compliments the City of Edmonton’s EcoVision, the SCC reduced garbage output by 40 per cent in 12 months, diverting 110 tonnes of organic waste to the City’s composting facility, and recycling 25
tonnes of cardboard. Newer initiatives include paperless registration and a food recovery program for Edmonton’s Food Bank.

At the ICLEI Congress, the Shaw Conference Centre’s on-site composting facility and recycling bins diverted 68 per cent of the total waste from the event away from the Edmonton landfill. The centre’s catering staff created a Congress gala dinner menu that featured 95 per cent locally-prepared foods. Other lunches and receptions during the ICLEI Congress featured 75 per cent Alberta-grown product.

“The intent now is to take these tools and our learnings to the next level, bringing a broader base of industry together to market Edmonton as a green destination for the business and leisure traveler focusing on green meetings, with the Shaw Conference Centre as a venue of choice,” says Higuchi.

The Shaw Conference Centre is Greater Edmonton's flagship hospitality venue and continues to reduce its environmental footprint through a sustainability initiative called “Simple Steps”. Managed by Edmonton Economic Development Corp., SCC provides high standards of customer service and award-winning culinary excellence while contributing an estimated annual economic impact of $44 million to the region.

Media contact:
Lesley MacDonald
Director, Media Relations, EEDC
Phone: 780.969.0463
Cell: 780.884.7972
E-mail: lmacdonald@edmonton.com