“The awarding of a 6 Star Green Star rating by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to the Melbourne Convention Centre is both a win for the environment and a win for business, says VTIC.
“The new Convention Centre will be a sustainability beacon for the tourism industry and will give it an additional marketing edge over other rival Centres in our region”, says VTIC Chairman Jeremy Johnson.
“The Centre will cement Melbourne’s reputation as Australia’s leading conference and convention destination for business tourists, and will help inject nearly $200 million a year into the state economy and create 2500 jobs over 25 years.
“VTIC would like to take this opportunity to congratulate private sector partner, Plenary Group, on its innovative work, which is an example of what can be achieved with Public-Private Partnerships.
“Environmental features included in the 6 Star Green Star Convention Centre include:
- solar panels to deliver all public amenity hot water requirements
- A black-water recycling plant to recycle waste water to supply toilets, cooling towers and to irrigate landscapes
- natural light and energy-saving controls on installed lighting
- lighting fixtures that adjust dependent on the amount of daylight detected in the room
- many of the building materials are sourced from renewable and sustainable industries
“We look forward to the new Green Convention Centre opening in 2009”, says Mr Johnson.
Background - what is VTIC
The Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) is the peak policy council for the Victorian tourism industry, which represents key industry associations and operators, providing one united industry voice.
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