Tuesday, April 21, 2009
LEEDing by Design
Vancouver Aquarium first worldwide to achieve both LEED Gold and ISO 14001 certifications
Vancouver, BC – Today in time for Earth Day, the Vancouver Aquarium and Mayor Gregor Robertson unveiled the Aquarium’s LEED Gold and ISO 14001 certifications.
Aquaquest – the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre – through its innovative building design and management practices resulted in the Aquarium being the first worldwide to achieve both certifications.
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a set of building guidelines created by the Green Building Council of Canada (cagbc.org), intended to encourage the design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings. The LEED rating system is organized into six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental air quality, and innovation and design process. ISO (International Organization of Standards) is an international standard for environmental management systems. The ISO 14001 cycle enables the organization to ensure continuous improvement of its environmental performance.
The LEEDing by Design event at Aquaquest – the Marilyn Blusson Learning Centre treated guests to tours highlighting environmental features such as a Living Wall, Light Well, Wetlab, Jellyfish lab, compost and recycling programs, furniture design, seawater exchange heating/cooling systems, rainwater capture & flushing system, and the Canaccord Exploration Gallery allowing visitors to view and interact with animal habitats in a whole new way.
“The Vancouver Aquarium is proud to be Canada’s greenest cultural institution,” said Dr. John Nightingale, President and CEO, Vancouver Aquarium. “Today we celebrated a key milestone in our ongoing journey to lead the way in environmental practices. Today is certainly an achievement, but it is one moment along the journey. We are committed to contributing to the city of Vancouver’s goal of becoming the greenest city in the world”.
In recognition of Earth Day, the public can celebrate EARTH WEEKEND at the Vancouver Aquarium Saturday, April 25 & Sunday, April 26. Find out more at vanaqua.org.
About the Vancouver Aquarium
The Vancouver Aquarium is a self-supporting, non-profit association dedicated to effecting the conservation of aquatic life through display and interpretation, conservation practices, education, research, and direct action. Learn more at www.vanaqua.org
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Media Contact:
Kent Hurl
Public Relations Supervisor
604.659.3752
kent.hurl@vanaqua.org