Global commitment to sustainability
To mark World Tourism Day, the Councillor for Tourism and Internationalisation and Chairman of the Valencia Conference Centre’s Board of Directors, Emiliano García, together with the venue’s Managing Director, Sylvia Andrés, today took part in the event organised to close the Conference Centre’s time capsule and thus showcase the Centre’s global commitment to sustainability.
This initiative aims to raise awareness to boost sustainable development in the city, through wishes and commitments aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to the Centre’s own team, the event involved the participation of different entities, event organisers, service providers and the general public, especially related to the MICE industry. The messages sent online have been stored in a virtual file, whose QR will be enclosed in a time capsule made of recycled glass in the shape of the building.
The event was attended by the Managing Director of the Visit València Foundation, Toni Bernabé, and three of the Centre’s ambassadors linked to its sustainability project: Jaime Gómez Hernández, Professor of Hydraulic Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), Vicente Domingo (Director of CEMAS) and Gonzalo Belenguer (Director of REDIT). During the event, special attention was drawn to the sustainability initiatives carried out by Valencia and the Conference Centre together with the ways to make tourism compatible with respect for the environment and for society.
Similarly, the Valencia City Council’s Councillor for Tourism and Internationalisation stated that “Valencia’s leadership in terms of sustainable tourism, through initiatives such as the Carbon Footprint and Water Footprint audits, makes us an international benchmark. In fact, Valencia is an excellent example for other cities to follow in their strategy to make sustainability part and parcel of their tourism policies.”
“The roadmap for sustainable tourism in Valencia will shape our destination and the city we envisage for 2030” and he added that “Tourism has a lot to say and a lot to offer in this innovative, inclusive project for the sustainable city we want Valencia to be.”
The Valencia Conference Centre: a green forum for dialogue
The Conference Centre plays its part in Valencia’s strategy to consolidate its position as an international benchmark in sustainable tourism. It is the first city in the world to certify and verify the water and carbon footprint of its tourist activities and has been recognised as a Smart Sustainable City by the International Telecommunication Union. Its strong points include more than five million square metres of parks and gardens and 156 kilometres of bike lanes.
As a responsible organisation, the Centre pursues two lines of action in this area. Firstly, it minimises the environmental impact of its activities from the perspective of the building, events and city, and secondly, it is totally committed to responsible consumption. The initiatives carried out by the venue include its pioneering certification and verification of its activities’ carbon footprint through a smart label project; the generation of renewable energy through the installation of more than 2,000 solar panel modules on its roof, which have produced 3.4 million kWh since 2008; and the responsible management of resources thanks to smart control systems and the use of highly efficient technology.
As a result, the Conference Centre generates annual savings of more than 1,094,000 kWh, which means a reduction of 831,440 kG of CO2 in terms of its emissions.
Find out more at https://www.palcongres-vlc.com/.
