Pictured L-R: Greg Rosicky, vice president of operations; Sheila Kuehl, L.A. County chair of the Board of Supervisors; Estella Flores, director of facility operations; Clemmie Taylor, building superintendent; Gary Gero, L.A. County chief sustainability officer
AEG Facilities received the tenth annual Los Angeles County Green Leadership Award on April 24 for its “Next Level Sustainability” campaign at the city-owned Los Angeles Convention Center. AEG Facilities was honored in the business/private sector category at the County of L.A. Board of Supervisors meeting during Earth Week. This award is the second sustainability recognition it has received in 2018 for managing the LACC, following the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award in January.
“The County’s Green Leadership Awards honor commitment to environmental sustainability and remind us that we have to take steps, as individuals, to educate the next generation in ways they can reduce their carbon footprint,” says supervisor Sheila Kuehl, chair of the Board of Supervisors.
The “Next Level Sustainability” program was established to reduce the LACC’s carbon footprint, and elevate and expand the LACC’s sustainable practices across five areas–waste/recycling, energy/climate, water, purchasing and education/communication. More than 30 environmentally friendly practices and procedures were implemented including diverting 7.3 million pounds of construction and demolition waste from the landfill by educating event management, exhibitors and contractors on more sustainable practices, installing 710 low-flow 1.28 GPF toilet units which are projected to decrease toilet water use by 20-25 percent and replacing 30,000 square feet of turf with drought-tolerant landscaping, saving an estimated 320,000 gallons of water per year.
“We hope to share our achievements with the community as a means of motivation and encouragement to keep working hard towards environmental protection and sustainability,” says Brad Gessner, senior vice president and general manager at the LACC. “We are honored to be recognized by L.A. County and excited to continue to make our facility more sustainable.”
The LACC is renowned internationally as a prime site for conventions, tradeshows, and exhibitions. Owned by the City of Los Angeles and professionally managed by AEG Facilities, the LACC attracts over 2.5 million visitors annually. The facility is an integral economic component to the Southern California area, generating economic benefits through attendee direct and indirect spending and sustaining more than 12,500 local jobs. The LACC also remains an enduring symbol of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, and is proud to be a LEED Gold certified facility; the venue was re-certified on the Gold level in 2015 making the LACC the first convention center of its size in the U.S. to receive LEED EB:O+M Gold re-certification. For more info, visit lacclink.com.
AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports and live entertainment company in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone division of AEG and its affiliates, owns, operates or consults with more than 150 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. The L.A.-based organization owns, operates or provides services to the world’s most elite venues, including the STAPLES Center and Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla., Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, N.Y., The O2 Arena in London and many more. For more info, visit aegworldwide.com.
