Toronto’s Exhibition Place has been awarded the 3RCertified Platinum Level Status from the Recycling Council of Ontario (RCO) for commitment to and achievement in sustainability, energy production and waste reduction. Exhibition Place is the only organization in Ontario with a Platinum Level status.

One initiative in particular, the GREENSmart Program, established at Exhibition Place in 2004, incorporates a number of initiatives geared at increasing environmental responsibility. The GREENSmart Program uses seven key elements to increase sustainability, including:

• TREC’s Wind Turbine, the first permanent turbine in the City of Toronto, capable of generating one million kilowatt hours of power annually;
• Lighting retrofits to decrease energy consumption;
• A trigeneration project, including a natural gas fired generator, to help with electricity, heating and cooling;
• A geothermal plant which uses natural ground heat for heating and cooling systems;
• A green roof to help store rainwater and cut down on greenhouse gas emissions;
• A photovoltaic plant, designed to collect and convert solar energy; and
• LED streetlight fixtures which use 50 per cent less electricity than typical lighting.

“I would like to thank our Chief Executive Officer, Dianne Young and the entire staff at Exhibition Place for continuously maintaining a level of outstanding achievement through the GREENSmart program,” says Mark Grimes, Chair of the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place. “Obtaining the highest standard for waste diversion in the Province was recognized both by RCO and Paul Evans, Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change at the award ceremony and the Board is very thankful and proud of that distinction.”

Exhibition Place is the first recipient of the 3RCertified Platinum Level Status award. Based on successful annual reassessments, the status is valid for three years.