Exhibition Place gets the Green Gold at Recycling Council of Ontario Awards Ceremony. (left to right) Mike Dimaso, Senior Facility Coordinator Exhibition Place, Arlene Campbell Arlene Campbell, General Manager, Sales & Event Management, Exhibition Place, Dianne Blackburn Events Manager, Recycling Council of Ontario and Brian Dow, Facility Coordinator, Exhibition Place.

The Recycling Council of Ontario, in its annual recognition of successful environmental practices —the 2007 Ontario Waste Minimization Awards—honored Exhibition Place with a Gold Facility Management Award, which recognizes a facility’s achievement with an internal waste minimization program. The Recycling Council of Ontario’s 24-year tradition awards those who demonstrate excellence and leadership in the creation of waste reduction/diversion initiatives. The Awards are integrated into the celebration of Waste Reduction Week in Canada.

Exhibition Place is proving that a venue’s energy future is blowing the wind. This wind turbine at Exhibition Place produce 1.2 million kilowatt hours of energy annually.

For Exhibition Place, the waste minimization program has been several years in the making.  As part of the 2004 Development Concept Plan, the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place initiated an Environmental Plan, which included the promotion of sustainable development, environmental initiatives and leading edge green technologies as well as partnerships between Exhibition Place, the City of Toronto, government agencies, not-for-profit climate change organizations, and the private sector.

Separate trash and recycle. Waste Receptacles at Exhibition Place separate materials for more efficient recycling.

Some of the environmental initiatives by Exhibition Place include: waste-diversion recycling, and composting programs rendering the site 80 percent waste-free by 2010; a wind turbine producing 1.2 million kilowatt hours of energy annually; hydrogen fuel-cells to power utility vehicles and a goal of energy self-sufficiency by 2010.

Exhibition Place, a massive, multi-purpose venue located on 192 acres, includes the Direct Energy Center; Ricoh Coliseum; BMO Field; Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex and Medieval Times.