Philadelphia’s green scene wins another accolade, as ranked in the top 10 US Cities for Green Meetings. What perfect timing after the USGBC’s Greenbuild International Conference was hosted here in November. Our city was ranked 8th, as Denver, Las Vegas & Chicago respectively took the top 3 spots.

Greenbiz weighed the Pennsylvania Convention Center features for its evaluation. The Convention Center’s 2011 LEED Gold certification  – with 100% biodegradable food containers (plates, cutlery & napkins), green cleaning products & lighting and more energy-saving tactics won over the judges.

Other reasons the PA Convention Center is getting green? Post-Greenbuild, the center & USGBC initiated ongoing composting and recycling programs.  According to Pro-Tech Energy, the PA Convention Center reduced its energy cost by 40% since 2011. Starting in 2014, 25% of the Convention Center’s energy will come though renewable (wind) energy, but likely 75% will still come from gas & dirty natural gas.

According to Mayor Michael Nutter,

“Our commitment to making Philadelphia a leading green city is a shared vision. We are fortunate to have leaders and organizations from a variety of sectors incorporating sustainability goals into the work that they do.  The Convention Center’s recognition as a top green meeting destination is yet another demonstration that sustainability principles often align to make for good business and help to make our city more competitive.”

Greenbiz.com created the rankings based on “industry standards for sustainable meetings and convention practices”, set forth by the Convention Industry Council’s Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM International), according to a press release from the PA Convention Center. Standards expand across 9 sectors, including transportation, accommodations, audio/visual, venues, food & beverage, onsite office, exhibits, destinations & communications.

The PA Convention Center isn’t the only green meeting space in Philly. Our Twitter friends the Hub is a B Corp with several locations downtown. Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia also holds the sustainable LEED certification, with meeting space available.

Readers, any other green meeting spaces we need to know about? Share in the comments.

Photo: Library of Congress, Highsmith Archive 

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Julie Hancher is the co-founder and Executive Director of Green Philly, an independent media organization making sustainability accessible, affordable and actionable. Since launching Green Philly in 2008, she has grown it from a passion project into a leading voice for local climate storytelling, pairing impactful journalism with community events and experiences. Julie is a frequent speaker on climate, media innovation and the future of local journalism, and is the creator of SustainPHL and EcoFair. Outside of Green Philly, you can find her hiking, biking, traveling, or exploring Philadelphia. View all posts by Julie Hancher