The San Diego Convention Center continues to receive accolades for environmental leadership with its recent 2008 Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP) honor. Last year alone, the Convention Center diverted 520 tons of materials away from landfills and donated nearly 50 tons of unused food to local charities. The WRAP Award is administered by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, a state agency designated to oversee, manage and track the millions of tons of waste generated in California. The annual award recognizes businesses who innovatively work to reduce their environmental impact. The Convention Center was a WRAP Award recipient in 2003, and earlier this year received the Recycler of the Year award from the City of San Diego. “The Convention Center has been green since the day we opened our doors, and we’re always looking for ways to step up our efforts,” said Brad Gessner, general manager of the San Diego Convention Center. “We’re proud to be recognized for preserving California’s natural resources, which is the responsible thing to do locally and globally.” The Convention Center’s “reduce, reuse and recycle” philosophy has resulted in 24% of the facility’s overall waste being diverted from landfills. Most recently, the Convention Center initiated a food composting program that has become one of the most prolific on the West Coast according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s regional office in San Francisco. Last year, the Convention Center created a formal Green Team consisting of employees from various departments to initiate environmentally responsible and innovative programs such as a highly successful food donation program. The San Diego Convention Center Corporation is a public benefit corporation created by the City of San Diego and is exclusively responsible for marketing, managing and operating the 2.6 million square foot building. In its 19-year history, the Center has generated nearly $15.2 billion in economic impact, over $309.8 million in tax revenues and continues to serve as San Diego’s premier gathering place.
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