ORLANDO, Fla. – (Mar. 11, 2020) The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) awarded the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) with the 2020 Rise to the Challenge Award at the USGBC Leadership Awards Ceremony on Mar. 6, 2020, in recognition of the Center’s green building and sustainability practices within the conventions industry and beyond.
The annual event identifies outstanding individuals and organizations at the forefront of the green building community. As one of the largest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified convention centers in North America, the OCCC continues to demonstrate industry and community leadership by pioneering pathways for large venues to achieve improving levels of sustainability stewardship.
Over the years, the Center of Hospitality has made enormous strides in building sustainability into the OCCC’s core strategy. Boasting a wide repertoire of success, the OCCC is known for being the first convention center in the U.S. to have its environmental management system ISO certification, and third to receive the APEX/ASTM certification.
“We are delighted to receive this highly esteemed industry accolade,” said OCCC Sustainability Coordinator John Roberts. “As one the largest square footages under one roof in Orange County, we remain conscious of the environmental impact our facility has on the community, and this award affirms that we are on the right track.”
With a planned expansion on the horizon, experts at the OCCC aim to secure a sustainable future for the Center and community through the development of a comprehensive Sustainability Action Plan (SAP), which will be incorporated into the decision-making process for all projects and initiatives moving forward. This plan will include strategies relating to energy and water use reduction, increased renewable energy production, optimized human experiences, and reduced emissions from transportation used to access the facility.
Enhancing sustainability and resiliency efforts remains a priority for Orange County Government. Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings showcased this commitment by appearing as a keynote at the USGBC Leadership Awards, alongside Orange County Chief Sustainability and Resiliency Officer Jeff Benavides.
To learn more about sustainability initiatives at the OCCC, please visit www.occc.net/About-Us-Sustainability.
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About the USGBC Leadership Awards
The 2020 Leadership Award recipients represent some of the best of USGBC’s nearly 10,000 member organizations, network of committed professionals with more than 204,800 LEED credentials and community of local leaders across the United States and throughout the world. With more than 100,000 registered and certified commercial projects and more than 160 cities and communities currently participating in LEED and spaces in all 50 states and 176 countries and territories, the efforts of this year’s award recipients stand out as exceptional examples of sustainability leadership among a strong and growing network of projects, companies and individuals. For more information or to register for Greenbuild, visit: greenbuild.usgbc.org.
About the Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in North America and provides approximately $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida annually. In recent years, the Convention Center has averaged nearly 200 events, including 115 conventions and tradeshows that attract more than 1.5 million attendees to the region each year. For more information about the Orange County Convention Center, visit www.occc.net.