Environment

Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design
LEED Silver Certification

The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center (HBGCC) was awarded LEED Silver Certification in August 2017 for building design and building operation in the New Construction LEED Certification category. Points were assigned for sustainable site development, water efficiencies, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental qualities.

Waste Reduction

• The HBGCC has been diverting various materials since 2006. Materials diverted include:
  • Cardboard
  • Polyurethane foam (carpet padding)
  • Scrap metal
  • Paper
  • Glass
  • Plastics
  • Aluminum
• Our facilities use comingle recycling compactors to divert waste from landfills
• From July 2009 to October 2017 the total tonnage diverted from landfills exceeded 967 tons
• Other items recycled by our business partners include telephones, cables/wires, and toner

Energy Conservation

• Convention Center staff practice stringent energy conservation. Lights, air conditioning, and escalators are kept at reduced or off settings when areas of the building are not in use
• The upgraded Building Control System allows for better scheduling of building systems
• Improved energy efficiencies include:
  • Upgraded lighting fixtures and ballasts
  • Solar Thermal window film
  • Improved HVAC components and control systems
• Dishwashers are used for glassware for head table water service
• Bottle filling stations are located within the building
• 100% of restroom faucets, soap dispensers and paper towel dispensers are battery free
• 100% of faucets, commodes, and urinals are low flow
• 100% of lighting in the expansion is energy efficient

Water Conservation

• Low-flow touch-less automatic faucets and dual flush valves have been installed in all restrooms
• Drought tolerant plants are used around the Convention Center

Green Purchasing

• Bags used for recycled items are made from 100% recyclable material
• 100% biodegradable bags are used for garbage
• Hand Towels and Toilet Paper are made from 100% recyclable material
• The majority of office supplies, custodial products, and cleaning supplies are eco-conscious; recycled copy paper is used
• Green cleaning chemicals are biodegradable, nontoxic, eco-friendly, and non-corroding

Other Practices

• City of San Antonio Bike Sharing Program (stations are located in front and back of the Convention Center)
• Meeting planner(s) can arrange to utilize composting bins. Requires partnership with our caterer (The RK Culinary Group) to ensure food waste is properly segmented.
• Our department has a 2008 Toyota Prius Hybrid.
• Other recycling practices and opportunities with our caterer include:
  • As part of our expansion, The RK Culinary Group installed an Eco-Safe Digester which uses a high refined formula of microorganisms to decompose carbon based food waste into a non-toxic liquid that is safely disposed into standard wastewater disposal systems.
  • Disposables – as often as possible, disposable cups will be replaced with reusable mugs and/or eco-friendly products. Disposable cutlery will be replaced with reusable silverware and/or cornstarch compostables. Napkins will be replaced with cloth napkins and/or 100% recycled paper napkins
  • Coffee Filters – we use commercial coffee brewers that do not use filters. Liquid concentrate coffee is used and aluminum containers are recycled
  • Food Donations – any prepared food not served from convention meals (within established guidelines) will be donated to local food banks for distribution to those less fortunate. Food donations are provided to Daily Bread Ministries and the San Antonio Food Bank, with an average of 1000 meals a month
  • When available, we will use locally grown purveyors or fair trade products, depending on seasonal allowances
  • Member of the Convene Green Alliance

Recent Additions

• The Convention Center will provide waste audits for specific events
  • Debris and recyclable materials will be gathered and weighed and a total provided at the end of the event
• The Convention Center continues to work towards reducing our carbon footprint by improving our recycling efforts during move-outs with client approval
  • We announce to exhibitors that we will accept items they do not want that they wish to donate
  • Staff will place large bins in a designated area to collect items. Once collected, items are used within our department or donated to other City departments or community groups
  • We will provide the location where each item was donated

City of San Antonio

Renewable Energy Offsets

• Through our “Green Events” Ordinance, the City has the ability to offer event planners an option of purchasing Renewable Energy Credits from San Antonio’s energy provider, CPS Energy. “Windtricity” is CPS Energy’s renewable energy program that enables your event to purchase clean, renewable power from West Texas and Coastal wind farms. The cost to purchase for your event is $65 per day for medium-scale events (1,000 to 2,000 attendees) and $130 per day for large-scale events (2001+ attendees). A renewable energy certification letter will be provided after payment. Any credits purchased will belong to the City of San Antonio as they are applied to the City’s utility account.

  Payments can be made to:

  City of San Antonio
  Attn: Green Event – Renewable Energy
  Sustainability Department
  P.O. Box 8389966
  San Antonio, TX 78283-3966

SA2020 Initiative

• The City of San Antonio has made a substantial commitment to the greening of our community via the SA2020 Initiative. The mission of SA2020 is to catalyze the entire San Antonio community into passionate, focused, and sustained action to achieve the shared goals that will transform San Antonio into a world-class city by the year 2020 in eleven key vision areas including “Environmental Sustainability”. Initiative includes:
  • Building a 21st Century urban energy infrastructure in San Antonio
  • Creating a multi-tech venture capital fund in San Antonio
  • Creating a Green Jobs program
  • Adopting a green, high performance building code for new residential and commercial construction
  • Building a Green Retrofit Program for existing homes and buildings
  • Creating an integrated efficient multi-modal transportation system for San Antonio
  • Municipal Facility Tree Planting
  • Employee Sustainability Education Program

For more information pertaining to the City's SA2020 initiative, please go to http://www.sa2020.org.