The
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) has been acknowledged as
an environmental leader in the new ‘AEG 1EARTH Sustainability
Report’ released recently for its commitment in energy
conservation, waste reduction efforts and specifically,
its energy-efficient lighting
project.
This
is the second sustainability report by AEG, owner of AEG Ogden Pty
Ltd, Australia (AEG
Ogden), the report details the progress of the AEG1EARTH
environmental program which incorporates a
framework for reducing environmental
impacts with metrics collected from 58 venues
from the AEG global network including the Centre’s, detailing the
group’s progress towards its 2020 Environmental Vision Goals.
AEG’s
sustainability report is the first of its kind in the live
entertainment, sports and convention centre industry. Besides a
framework for reducing AEG Ogden’s operations, AEG1EARTH can be
considered a blue print for the greening the live entertainment and
convention industry as it identifies the challenges and opportunities
to merge economic growth with environmental responsibility.
AEG
Ogden is KLCC (Holdings) Sdn Bhd’s joint venture partner in Convex
Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the manager and operator of the Centre.
“Taking
our cue from AEG Ogden,” said Datuk Peter Brokenshire, General
Manager, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, “we will continue to
explore all avenues and
opportunities to enhance our sustainability efforts and in doing so,
play our part in reducing environmental impacts within the
context of our business.”
As
Malaysia’s leading convention facility, the Centre invested RM2
million to retrofit and improve the lighting efficiency for its five
exhibition halls totalling 10,000 sq metres in January this year
(2012). The initiative entails replacing about 900 250W metal halide
lamps with light-emitting diodes (LED) bulbs and in turn, reducing
overall electricity consumption by 28%. Based on an estimated 5,000
hours of electricity use per year for all five exhibition halls, the
LED bulbs could result in a saving of some 800,000 kWh per year or an
annual saving of around RM250,000. More important though, is the
reduction in the building’s carbon
footprint and overall operating costs.
In
the area of waste reduction, the Centre has an on-going 3R Campaign
(Reduce, Re-use and Recycle) in place to encourage staff and
visitors, to reduce wastage, re-use and recycle where possible.
Colour coded sets of bins can be found around the Centre to
facilitate the separation of batteries, plastic, glass, metal and
paper while items left behind from events, such as a black backdrop
curtain from a gala dinner, are often given a new lease of life as
furniture storage covers, drop cloths and even curtains for changing
rooms. Higher quality fire-retardant and reusable curtains and carpet
tiles are now common materials for events held at the Centre.
In
addition, the Centre adheres to a number of other eco-friendly
practices in its overall effort to remain sustainable. They include
using biodegradable cleaning
products, minimal use of pesticides, sourcing
products from environmentally conscious suppliers, encouraging
tree-planting activities and sourcing locally-produced products for
the Culinary Department.
To
date, AEG Ogden has introduced several environmental sustainability
standards to the industry with presentation of its ground-breaking
investments in solar power, LEED-certified green building design and
operations, and responsible water management at STAPLES Center (Los
Angeles, CA), Rose
Garden (Portland,
OR), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai,
China), The O2 (London, England) and Cairns Convention Centre
(Cairns,Australia). With AEG 1EARTH, the company continues its
coordinated and tracked efforts to engage employees, fans and
partners in everyday activities to improve the environment.
