Tim Trefzer – Georgia World Congress Center Authority

Earth Day: Celebrating the successes of Greenbuild at GWCCA

With Earth Day celebrating its 50th anniversary on Wednesday (April 22), it’s a great opportunity to dive into the recently-published results from the world’s largest gathering of green building professionals dedicated to sustainability in the built environment. We’re talking about the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, of course, which was held in November on the […]

Super Bowl Sustainability: Atlanta passes symbolic Golden Shovel to Miami

Atlanta has officially sent the National Football League (NFL) packing for Miami after hosting a successful Super Bowl LIII. While the majority of football-related events wrapped up in February, the Golden Shovel Ceremony didn’t take place until May 9. Each year, the NFL’s Environmental Program leaders, Jack Groh and Susan Groh, ceremonially transition to the […]

Earth Day Challenge: Planners needed to move green meetings needle

As we celebrate Earth Day today, it’s probably not a surprise that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) once deemed the convention industry more wasteful than all but one other industry. As a result, many convention centers have placed environmental responsibility at the forefront of operations. When I began at the Georgia World Congress Center […]

Super Bowl LIII's super sustainability

The week of Jan. 13-19 was unofficially “green week” for Atlanta’s Super Bowl LIII sustainability activities, part of the Atlanta Super Bowl Host Committee’s Legacy 53 initiative. On both Jan. 15 and Jan. 19, two of the final urban forestry projects were completed. The first, located at the Salvation Army Bellwood Boys and Girls Club […]

Super Bowl LIII’s super sustainability

GWCCA leading the South in hospitality and sustainability

Sustainability and the hospitality industry haven’t always gone hand-in-hand. In fact, it wasn’t too long ago that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed the convention industry the second most wasteful industry behind only building and construction. This was attributed to the carbon footprint resulting from the sheer amount of air travel, electricity, and food […]

First-year results show GWCCA energy savings project a sustainability success

A little more than a year into a 17-year guaranteed energy savings performance contract (ESPC) with global heating and cooling company Trane, the 220-acre Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) campus has reduced utility costs by 43 percent compared to a 2013 baseline. The first-year results show enough electricity was saved to power approximately 2,300 […]

New beehives creating a sustainability buzz on GWCCA campus

Today the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) unveiled the organization’s first-ever beehives on our downtown Atlanta campus. Located in the grassy pocket park on the southwest corner of Northside Drive and Boone Boulevard, three new hives were introduced to Authority team members and media amidst activities such as honey tastings, a do-it-yourself pollinator kit […]

Soccer, sustainability and Atlanta’s World Cup bid

***** UPDATE: Today, FIFA chose North America as host of the 2026 World Cup, with Atlanta as a possible site for tournament games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (MBS) on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus. If MBS hosts games, the adjacent Georgia World Congress Center will house the World Cup media center. *****

Soccer, sustainability and Atlanta's World Cup bid

Reimagined employee cafe reflects Earth Month and GWCCA values

Last week, the Authority held the grand opening of our new team member dining experience, Bridge Point, in an area of the Georgia World Congress Center not seen by the general public. Bridge Point is a project I’ve been involved with for more than two years. Its predecessor, the Getaway Café, had become dated since […]

SweetWater 420 Fest and GWCCA make symbiotic Earth Day match

First celebrated 48 years ago this month as a singular occurrence recognizing the health of the natural environment, Earth Day (April 22) has since blossomed into a month-long global campaign around environmental protection and awareness. This year’s theme for Earth Day is plastic pollution prevention. More than six billion tons of plastic is disposed of […]

Goats graze GWCCA’s grassy gradient

They’re baaaaaaaaaack! The goats, that is. More than 40 goats and two guard dogs have descended on the Georgia World Congress Center Authority campus to assist with landscaping. Located on the large hill just south of Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and north of GWCC’s Building B, the goats are baaah-ck for their bi-annual maintenance of […]

Goats graze GWCCA's grassy gradient

Counting green cars: GWCCA embraces fuel and vehicle alternatives

As the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA) prepares to host the 2018 Atlanta International Auto Show this week (Wednesday, March 21 through Sunday, March 25), a jolt of energy can be expected around the industry’s recent shift toward hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs). Last year, Swedish automaker Volvo announced that by 2019 it will […]

Green Games: GWCCA campus at the heart of sustainable sports movement

The green team scored the winning touchdown during this year’s Super Bowl. Yes, the Philadelphia Eagles’ uniforms sport a green hue and they did indeed lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy at the end of the game, but the efforts in place to reduce the event’s environmental impact was a victory within itself. After taking heat […]

Futbol Y’all! Major League Soccer Era on GWCCA Campus Kicks Off at MBS

Are you ready for some futbol, downtown Atlanta?