Center-to-Table Gardens at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando

Sustainable Meetings in Orlando

Aspiring to Be Green

Through collaboration with the local chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council and select area hotels and attractions, Visit Orlando has been integral in establishing Green Destination Orlando. This pilot program is designed to set sustainability standards for destinations throughout the world, guiding them down the path toward Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.

Green efforts at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), Central Florida hotels and resorts, and other meeting venues help planners and suppliers produce events in a more sustainable manner. For example, the Kia Center in downtown Orlando is the first NBA facility to earn gold LEED certification, and the OCCC is the largest convention center in the world with LEED certification. In addition, the Greater Orlando area has 136 Florida Green Lodging-designated properties out of a total of 689 in the entire state.

Our Convention Center also boasts the 2,000-square-foot OCCC Center-to-Table Gardens. The aeroponic gardens produce the freshest vegetables and herbs in an all-natural, chemical-free environment, with 780 plants being harvested every week — or 40,000 per year.

Learn more: OCCC Center-to-Table Gardens

Solar-Powered Meetings

The Orange County Convention Center was the first facility of its kind to be ISO 14001:2004-certified for its recycling program. It was also the third convention center in the world to be certified with a new international sustainability standard (iAPEX/ASTM Environmentally Sustainable Event Standards for Venues).

However, the OCCC’s greatest innovation recycles one of Orlando’s most prized assets: the sun. The center’s one-megawatt rooftop photovoltaic system generates power by collecting solar energy, providing 12 percent of the venue’s annual electrical needs.