Los Angeles Convention Center Goes Dark for Earth Hour
Mar 17, 2016
Joining More Than 50 AEG Facilities-Affiliated Venues in a Global Call to Action in Support of the Environment
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 17, 2016) On March 19th, 2016, the Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) will join millions of people and organizations worldwide in “going dark” for World Wildlife Fund’s Earth Hour, a worldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet. From 8:30 to 9:30 PM, the LACC will turn off its non-essential lights, primarily focusing on West and South Hall towers, as a symbolic call to action to protect our planet. As part of a global Earth Hour campaign organized by AEG 1EARTH, AEG’s industry-leading corporate sustainability program, the LACC joins more than 50 AEG Facilities-affiliated venues in 27 cities, eight countries and four continents across the globe in celebrating its commitment to the environment.
Environmental initiatives at the LACC span across numerous categories including energy, water, and waste reduction. The venue is 36% more efficient than the median building in the entertainment building use category; LACC’s overall waste diversion rate for 2015 was 72%; and the venue has reduced overall water use by 15% since 2013. The LACC is also proud to be the largest convention center in the U.S. (as of 2015) to achieve LEED® EB: O+M Gold recertification.
The LACC is excited to join Earth Hour 2016, and to further raise awareness of the critical environmental challenges facing our world, the LACC will promote its participation in Earth Hour via social media, primarily through Facebook and Twitter.
“We are proud to support Earth Hour for the third year in a row here at the Los Angeles Convention Center,” notes Brad Gessner, Senior Vice President of AEG Facilities and General Manager of the LACC. “As a very visible member of the Los Angeles community, we hope to have a positive impact by using that visibility for a good cause.”
Earth Hour is an annual event designed to engage millions of people worldwide on a broad range of environmental issues. Individuals, communities, households, and businesses are encouraged to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. Each year, more than 7,000 cities show their support for environmental issues by participating in Earth Hour.
“We’re thrilled to have so many AEG facilities participating in Earth Hour again this year,” said John Marler, AEG’s Senior Director of Energy and Environment. “It’s a testament to our global commitment to reducing our environmental impact and using our platform to raise awareness of important environmental issues.”
In 2010, AEG established a set of 2020 environmental performance goals across five issue areas, including energy and climate, water, waste, responsible purchasing, and education. In 2016, the company will release its fifth AEG 1EARTH Environmental Sustainability Report, which will provide an update on progress towards AEG’s 2020 goals and share stories of AEG’s involvement in Earth Hour and other environmental events worldwide.
Media Contact:
Vicky Karpilovich
213.765.4664 --- vkarpilovich@lacclink.com
About the Los Angeles Convention Center
The Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC) is renowned internationally as a prime site for conventions, trade shows, and exhibitions. Professionally managed by AEG Facilities, the LACC attracts over 2.5 million visitors annually. The facility is an integral economic component to the Southern California area; based on historical averages the total economic impact based on direct and indirect spending is $360 million annually, generating and sustaining over 3,900 local jobs. The LACC also remains an enduring symbol of environmental sustainability and social responsibility, and is proud to be a LEED® Gold certified facility; the venue was recertified on the Gold level in 2015 making the LACC the largest convention center in the U.S. to receive LEED® EB:O+M Gold recertification! For more information, please visit lacclink.com.
About AEG Facilities
AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, is the leading sports, entertainment and venue operator in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone affiliate of AEG, owns, operates or consults with more than 100 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. AEG Facilities also provides resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including live event producer, AEG Live, AEG Global Partnerships, AEG Development, AEG 1Earth, AEG Encore and AEG Creative to support the success of AEG venues across the globe. The Los Angeles-based organization owns, operates or provides services to the world’s most elite venues, including KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, Ky.), STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), StubHub Center (Carson, Calif.), Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles, Calif.), Los Angeles Convention Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.), Target Center (Minneapolis, Minn.), BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston, Texas), Oracle Arena and O.co Coliseum (Oakland, Calif.), CONSOL Energy Center (Pittsburgh, Penn.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, CA), Rabobank Arena (Bakersfield, Calif.), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), MasterCard Center (Beijing, China), The O2 Arena (London, England), AccorHotels Arena (Paris, France), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany), Barclaycard Arena (Hamburg, Germany), Ahoy Arena (Rotterdam, Netherlands), Itaipava Arena Pernambuco (Recife, Brazil), Allianz Parque (Sao Paulo, Brazil), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia), Ülker Sports Arena (Istanbul, Turkey), Ericsson Globe Arena (Stockholm, Sweden) and the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center (Muscat, Oman). For more information, please visit aegworldwide.com.
