In honor of Earth Month, learn about how the Miami Beach Convention Center is investing in our venue and planet with the latest sustainability efforts. Earth Month takes place during April every year to raise environmental awareness and create consciousness around the issues that affect mother nature.

The first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. The event was organized by Gaylord Nelson, a United States Senator from Wisconsin. He was inspired to action after witnessing the damage caused by an oil spill in Santa Barbara, California in 1969. Nelson realized that there was a need for everyone to become more environmentally aware and active in preserving our planet. He hoped that Earth Day would be a way to educate people about the importance of environmental protection.

The theme for Earth Day, Earth Week and Earth Month 2023 is , “Invest in Our Planet.” The focus is on engaging governments, institutions, businesses and the community to do their part because everyone is accountable. The theme calls on people around the world to recognize our collective responsibility to protect and preserve the planet and help accelerate the transition to an equitable, prosperous green economy for all.

The Miami Beach Convention Center and Campus is Miami Beach’s re-imagined centerpiece for meetings, conventions, exhibitions, and tradeshows. The newly $640-million-dollar renovated 1.4 million square feet venue  includes a 60,000 square-foot Grand Ballroom with a 18,000 square-foot pre-function space, approximately 500,000 square feet of exhibition space, a 99,000 square-foot Grand Lobby,  84 breakout rooms, approximately 800 roof deck parking spaces and 9 acres of public green space with curated public art. Famed Fentress Architects and Architectonica collaborated to create a state-of-the-art sustainable design and eco-conscious operational procedures. Recycled materials are embedded throughout the building, with more than 20 percent of materials sourced locally in South Florida. Ninety six percent of construction waste was recycled, diverting more than 38,000 tons of waste recycling for this Silver LEED-certified facility.

In March 2023, the Convention Center team launched an Herb & Vegetable Garden, in partnership with Compost for Life Miami. The program takes leftover organics from the venue’s conventions and events and converts the waste into compost. This compost is then used in the herb and vegetable garden, creating a sustainable food system that reduces waste and provides real garden-to table dining. The goal is to create a calm environment for the culinarians and convention center team to tend, nurture and educate the community on gardening and sustainable practices. The vegetables currently planted include carrots, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and peppers, and the foliage is used for table garnishes and decorations. Moreover, solar powered lights illuminate the wooden fence surrounding the garden, which is made from recycled wood pallets from food shipments.

“We’re thrilled to bring this garden to life at Rum Room and Venu (and Convention Center Campus) to not only have access to fresh vegetables for our dishes, but to also extend our sustainability program at the convention center into these two new spaces in an exciting way,” said Danny Medina, Regional Vice President, Sodexo Live! – Miami Beach Convention Center food and beverage management.

The Convention Center is continuously working on how to make the venue more accountable. To that end, the team is working on building a robust sustainability plan that meets, supports and encourages meeting planners and show organizers expectations, including, rainwater harvesting, and solar tube installations.

Earth Day is held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, and Earth Week is held from Sunday, April 16 to Saturday, April 22, 2023.

For more information, including a free Earth Day 2023 Business Sustainability Toolkit – please visit https://www.earthday.org/

For more information, please visit http://www.miamibeachconvention.com/sustainability