Our Commitment to Sustainability

The Minneapolis Convention Center (MCC) is committed to assisting our customers in achieving their sustainability goals for meetings and conventions, as well recognizing the importance for our facility, customers, employees and community. The following sustainability efforts are currently underway at the MCC.

Recycling
Multi-stream containers collect waste throughout the facility. On average, we recycle 2.2 tons per month.

Items recycled:

• Cardboard
  
• Cans
  
• Glass
  
• Plastic Bottles
  
• Paper
  
• Wood
  
• Carpet
  
• Metal

In 2009, our $3.3 million roof replacement will feature 100 percent recycling and reuse of existing roofing materials. The insulation will be preserved and reused, the rubber membrane will be recycled and the ballast rock will go into landscaping and road-work projects.

We are even recycling our escalators! Our EcoMod escalator retrofits will allow for replacement of existing escalators in place, preserving the structural steel framing and truss work along with finish materials.

Did you know?
The MCC recycles 98 percent of all cardboard used in the facility.

Catering
The MCC’s exclusive catering company, Kelber Catering, contributes to the sustainability efforts at the MCC in several ways:

• Locally sourced organic produce used whenever available
  
• Food prep waste recycled through Second Harvest Farms and used to feed hogs
  
• Surplus food product is collected and donated through People Serving People, St. Paul Evangelical Food Mission and Kid’s Café
  
• Reusable china and biodegradable dishes, cups and flatware are used 100 percent of the time in catering and biodegradable products are used 95 percent of the time in the concession stands, Dunn Bros. and other cash outlets
  
• Bulk condiments used whenever possible
  
• Upon request, Kelber will assist in planning menus using locally grown, organic products

Did you know?
100 tons of food waste is recycled annually.

Conservation of Resources

• The Minneapolis Convention Center has adopted an indoor air temperature policy to maximize efficiency while maintaining client comfort set-points of 68°F winter and 76°F summer
  
• The heating and cooling systems are monitored 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure spaces are only conditioned when occupied
  
• The lighting system is computer controlled and programmed to light only spaces in use
  
• Most escalators are powered on only during event hours
  
• All air handling equipment operates with high efficiency motors and variable speed drives
  
• Exterior doors are monitored and staffed during event load-in and load-out to conserve conditioned air
  
• All restroom fixtures are equipped with low-flow and automatic shut-off devices to conserve water and sewer resources
  
• Restrooms feature automatic-flush commodes and urinals
  
• The terrazzo floor throughout the lobby areas has been refinished to allow maintenance free from waxes, sealers and stripping chemicals
  
• Yard waste is composted by the City of Minneapolis
  

Cleaning Products

• 95 percent of cleaning products are Green Seal certified
  
• Restroom cleaning and sanitizing performed by a single machine utilizing Green Seal-certified agents to substantially reduce chemical use
  

Cleaning Equipment

• Floor care equipment utilizes FaST (foam scrubbing technology) to reduce chemical application by using 87 percent less chemicals than traditional floor scrubbers
  
• New terrazzo floor care machines by Tennant utilize ECH2O ionization technology to clean hard surfaces without chemicals
• These machines also use 70 percent less water than traditional floor care equipment – we estimate the riding scrubber used on our concourse floors uses 15,330 gallons less water annually than a non-FaST scrubber

Green Your Event

The Minneapolis Convention Center has entered a partnership with Boulder, Colo.-based Renewable Choice Energy as the first convention center in the United States to offer meeting planners and conventions Green Your Event packages to balance the environmental impact of event-related emissions and electricity use. These packages include certified renewable energy credits (RECs) generated by wind farms or other renewable energy projects across the United States and Canada and verified carbon offsets from projects that reduce carbon emissions entering the atmosphere. Green Your Event will be offered by meeting planners and conventions, and purchased by event attendees.

A Green Your Event purchase will offset a percentage of the attendees’ electricity use along with travel to and from the event, while supporting the generation of renewable energy and carbon mitigation projects. This option will be offered to all conventions who wish to participate and is completely optional for meeting planners and their attendees. View a fact sheet here.

Renewable Choice Energy is a leading national provider of renewable energy credits (RECs) and verified emission reductions (VERs) (carbon offsets) to hundreds of Fortune 500 Companies and small businesses, thousands of residential customers, and over 850 LEED green building projects in the U.S. For more information or to Green Your Event, visit Renweable Choice Energy online at http://www.renewablechoice.com.