Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC)
When Thomas Tong’s phone rang at HKCEC one morning, little did the director of operations know that it was a call that would change the way he and his staff approached their work.

Managing director Cliff Wallace, who was at the other end of the line, told Tong of a programme that would transform the iconic waterfront building’s energy saving and environmental practices. “It was quite a surprise for me as I had previously spent a career in the hotel hospitality industry – a people business,” Tong told the Asia MICE Forum in Taipei. “But hospitality is about caring and we had to do the same for the environment.”

That phone conversation led to Tong organising a ‘green awareness committee’ comprised of senior managers who rolled out a series of environmental protection measures ranging from LED lighting replacing florescent in display cases to a machine that makes compost bricks from food waste.

Efforts to reduce the centre’s carbon footprint were recognised with a certificate for 14 per cent reduction. HKCEC obtained the highest level of carbon footprint reduction among 103 organisations in the government’s Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence.

One of the most visible results of the green awareness programme is the Sky Garden on the roof of the centre where the compost bricks are being used to grow plants tended to by staff (pictured above).

Energy consumption has been reduced by 16 per cent over a two-year period from 2009 and huge events, such as the Hong Kong Book Fair, are targeted with a concerted recycling drive. The 2011 fair, which had 970,000 visitors, saw 22.3 tonnes of paper, plastic bottles and aluminium cans collected.

Coex Convention & Exhibition Centre (Coex)
Coex in Seoul went from bronze to silver EarthCheck certification in 2011 by achieving further reductions in energy consumption, water usage, and disposal of solid waste and toxic substances.

Over the past year, Coex improved the efficiency of its air-conditioning system and replaced 24,000 bulbs out of the 160,000 throughout the venue with LED versions. It expanded its water recycling system so that a further 160,000 tonnes of water – out of every million tonnes of water used – is recycled.

In addition, Coex’s green team conducted a carbon neutrality sampling survey among the organisers, exhibitors and attendees during the Low-Carbon Green Growth Expo. The final results were compiled in a report and indicated that most of the waste from exhibitions came from the wood used in booth frames.

For the Low-Carbon Green Growth Expo alone, the wooden structures added up to 4 tonnes of the waste. Coex and the show organisers partnered with an external recycling company to find ways to recycle all the wood, as a way to highlight to the industry how much waste can be generated from one trade show. The effort received a Grand Prize from South Korea’s Ministry of Environment. “The carbon sampling survey was the first of its kind in the world and we hope that it will inspire other centres to conduct similar surveys in the future,” says Park Young-Ho, director of Coex’s green team.

In 2012, Coex will launch a programme to manage the purchase of sustainable building materials for the venue and for events. The company will also be working with a local government organisation on a new scheme to reduce food waste by using RFID chips to monitor the amount of food generated in each step of the catering process.

“Encouraging sustainable practices is one of Coex’s three main visions. We will continue to pursue our goal of becoming a world leader in Green MICE in 2012,” says Hong Sung-Won, president and CEO of Coex.

Taiwan World Trade Centre Nangang Exhibition Hall (TWTC Nangang)
Measures taken by TWTC Nangang to minimise carbon emissions and increase energy efficiency earned plaudits from the island’s government. But the centre’s executive director, Kang Yin-jyh, said the challenge of making savings in energy consumption came as the Taipei facility hosted an increasing number of events and visitors, each leaving the potential for a large carbon footprint.

After opening in 2005, TWTC Nangang made a 43 per cent reduction in its electricity use between 2008 and 2010. Minimising and reporting methods saw greenhouse gas emissions cut from 6,290 tonnes in 2009 to 5,201 tonnes the following year. The British Standards Institution has also verified these efforts.

The greening of the centre’s outer perimeter is the most obvious sign of TWTC Nangang’s environmental awareness that greets visitors, but Kang told the Asia MICE Forum that much of the energy saving came from how the building harnessed natural elements.

The use of natural daylight and rainwater collection supported the centre’s three-pronged strategy of reducing energy consumption, increasing energy efficiency and minimising carbon emissions.

E-bulletin boards have replaced posters and signage in front of every conference room and at entrances to exhibition floors, and the use of second-hand carpets, or no carpet at all, is encouraged. Public transport is also encouraged, whether by airport shuttle buses or a metro direct to TWTC Nangang. According to Kang, the 43 per cent saving in electricity use led to a US$330,000 saving in power bills in 2009, and $158,600 in 2010, as the number of events increased.

Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre has retained its EarthCheck bronze certification and introduced new initiatives to improve its performance.

Says general manager Datuk Peter Brokenshire: “The efforts and dedication demonstrated by every staff member across the board, from operations and facilities to sales and marketing, finance and administration, and human resources, are integral to our efforts to maintain this globally recognised and respected EarthCheck benchmark. The certification is also a strong motivator for us to continue adopting best practices in sustainability in our business operations.”

In addition to a Sustainability Policy, nine of the centre’s areas assessed under the EarthCheck indicators were at or above baseline level. Of this, energy consumption, potable water consumption, waste sent to landfill, paper products rating and cleaning products rating were above best practice level.

New initiatives in 2011 included recycling all suitable waste, such as food waste being collected by a contractor, for use as fish food. The centre has long been a regional sustainability leader and since 2008 has replaced 2,910 light bulbs with compact fluorescent alternatives, lowering energy consumption with a more environmentally friendly disposal product.

Since pre-opening, used cooking oil from the venue has been collected by a third party to be recycled for use as fertilisers and in animal feed industries, which are then exported to other countries such as China and India.

“In particular, over the next 12 months, we aim to achieve best practice levels in the areas of water savings, waste recycling, community commitment, community contributions and pesticide product rating,” says Brokenshire.