Meeting News - November 10, 2008 - (Page S13)

SOUTH REGIONAL continued from page S1 Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau. The RCC’s most visible green feature, its massive floor-to-ceiling windows, has created energy efficiency, according to Gold. They let in an abundance of natural light, reducing the convention center’s need for electricity, he said. But there are dozens of less obvious eco-conscious details, too. For example, the building’s restrooms are equipped with occupancy sensors, which turn off the lights when the rooms are empty. Its planters, meanwhile, are filled with low-maintenance greenery that requires minimal moisture, thereby conserving water. Even the building’s footprint is environmentally sound; construction crews salvaged and recycled 198 tons of construction debris. The RCC is undergoing certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) building, Gold said. Also pursuing LEED certification is the 330,000-sf Jackson Convention Complex. Adjacent to the existing Mississippi TelCom Center, the JCC is opening in January and The Jackson Convention Complex, in Jackson, MS, will be a sust ainable facility. features a 60,000-sf exhibit hall, a 25,000-sf ballroom, a 382-seat theater, as well as 10 meeting rooms. Jackson is an unlikely place for a sustainable convention center—the city isn’t currently home to a single LEED-certified building, according to the USGBC’s LEED Projects Directory—but center officials wanted to go the extra mile, said JCC spokeswoman Angelique Minnifield. “This isn’t something that was required,” she said. “It’s something that we wanted to do.” Like the RCC, the Jackson Convention Complex features a window-heavy design that maximizes natural light. It was built largely with materials from within a 500-mile radius of Jackson—so as to minimize pollution and fuel consumption from transporting supplies— and has many green attributes, including a reflective roof that conserves energy, bike racks and a shower for employees who bike to work, and priority parking spaces for workers who carpool or drive hybrid vehicles. continued on page S14 www.meetingnews.com November 10, 2008 MeetingNews S13 http://www.visitgreensboronc.com http://www.visitgreensboronc.com http://www.meetingnews.com

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Meeting News - November 10, 2008

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