April 22, 2010 - DeVos Place Convention Center, located in Grand Rapids , has earned Green Venues Michigan (GVM) Steward certification from the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth (DELEG).
Green Venues Michigan encourages entertainment venues, convention centers, and similar facilities to implement environmental initiatives and cost-saving "green" practices to conserve energy, reduce water consumption, protect air quality, reduce waste, and participate in environmentally preferred purchasing.
"This accreditation is the mark of environmental responsibility of venues which are committed to ‘green' business practices and make environmental and economic goals their top priority," said DELEG Director and Chief Energy Officer Stanley "Skip" Pruss. "Green Venues Michigan is also helping to ensure the viability of our venues and the thousands of jobs related to Michigan's hospitality industry."
DeVos Place Convention Center has implemented several environmental initiatives at their facility including:
- Working with Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce on the Greater Grand Rapids Partnership for a Sustainable Community;
- Using low flow fixtures to reduce water consumption;
- Purchasing minimum 30% post consumer recycled content paper products;
- HVAC and lighting systems controlled by a computerized Energy Management System;
- Property wide recycling effort. Materials recycled include (cardboard, paper, glass, plastic, aluminum, batteries, and others).
Eddie Tadlock, Assistant General Manager for DeVos Place said, "To keep pace with the growing national trend towards ‘Green Meetings,' SMG is aggressively marketing DeVos Place as a ‘green' facility, and the city Grand Rapids as a Green Destination. By taking advantage of this opportunity to assess our current conservation practices, we will be able to serve our customers while supporting sustainability and enabling cost reductions. SMG believes that to achieve its goals of becoming the premier venue in Michigan, this recognition as a green venue moves us closer to being a national leader in the hospitality industry."
GVM is a voluntary, non-regulatory certification program offered through the Bureau of Energy Systems in DELEG at no charge. The Bureau of Energy Systems provides technical assistance to those who are interested in implementing "green" strategies and earning certification. The GVM program certifies facilities based on environmental initiatives such as air quality, energy efficiency, solid waste reduction, toxic waste management, water conservation, purchasing and communication. There are three levels of certification: Partner, Steward, and Leader, which can be earned by completing a self-assessment checklist and achieving a minimum number of requirements and points.
The Bureau of Energy Systems promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy resource development to Michigan's residents, businesses, and public institutions. For more information about the GVM program and to download the application packet and self-assessment checklist, visit www.michigan.gov/energyoffice and click on the Green Venues Michigan link under Programs towards the bottom of the page.
For more information about DELEG, please visit www.michigan.gov/deleg. Follow DELEG at http://twitter.com/MIDELEG or visit the "DELEG" page on Facebook and Become a Fan.
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