LOS ANGELES — In honor of Earth Day, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), owned by the city of Los Angeles, announced a ban on single-use plastic bottles throughout the facility.
LACC’s exclusive food and beverage partner, Levy Restaurants, has replaced single-use plastic bottles with aluminum bottles in all cafés and catering services. Beverages sold in the centre’s vending machines have also followed suit.
“As an environmentally conscious institution, this was an obvious step,” said Ellen Schwartz, LACC’s executive director. “The long-term cost of single-use plastic to our environment was something we could no longer ignore.”
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The LACC ban supports Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s stated goal of eliminating plastic bottles at all city-owned facilities, replacing single-use plastic water bottles with sustainable alternatives, such as recyclable aluminum, glass or certified compostable materials.
“Like many organizations in the events industry, the need to embrace sustainable practices is a core goal that we embed in RX’s culture. We recently proudly signed the Net Zero Carbon Events Pledge, which aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2050,” said Mike Grant, Senior Vice President of Operations at RX US. “We support the initiatives of LACC and all of our venue partners to drive these changes.”
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) will meet in Los Angeles in 2024 and welcomes the new LACC policy. “IAEE applauds the Los Angeles Convention Center for its decision to eliminate plastic water bottle waste from its facilities. Sustainability is an increasingly critical business element for all industry stakeholders,” said Scott Craighead, IAEE vice president of exhibitions and events. “This action by LACC illustrates how an operational decision can make a real difference toward a more environmentally sustainable industry. IAEE looks forward to partnering with LACC on its environmental initiatives as it hosts Expo! Expo!, the IAEE’s annual meeting and exhibition in 2024.”
In addition to reducing plastic pollution, the Center’s newly introduced aluminum bottles are easily refillable at one of the venue’s 21 hydration stations. To date, these water refill stations have saved approximately 150,000 plastic bottles. “It’s encouraging to see the success the Los Angeles Convention Center has had with its sustainability policies,” said Jeff Quade, Executive Vice President of GES. “We are pleased to support our partners, including the Los Angeles Convention Center, in their sustainability efforts. At GES, we reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible. LACC’s banning of single-use bottles at the facility is consistent with our values.”
Recently, LACC partnered with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to more clearly identify these water refill stations. “Fill Here” signs have been added to each hydration station to encourage customers to take advantage of the city’s clean, safe water supply.
“Creating low-impact events and exhibitions is essential to reducing the environmental impact on our planet,” said Janet Sperstad, CMP, director of the Meetings and Events Management program at Madison College and IAEE secretary/treasurer. “Using the Events Industry Council’s Sustainable Events Standards and following the best practices of those who are successfully creating sustainable exhibitions like IMEX can help lead the way. Together, we can make a big difference.”
Contact Scott Craighead at [email protected]; Mike Grant at [email protected]; Jeff Quade at [email protected]; Ellen Schwartz at [email protected]; Janet Sperstad at [email protected]