Dozens of staff at the Hawai‘i Convention Center, managed by ASM Global, created and deployed hundreds of Genki Balls into the Ala Wai Canal to assist with Ala Wai ecosystem restoration in celebration of America Recycles Day on Nov. 15, 2023.

The Center’s staff created 548 Genki Balls and deployed another 500 into the Ala Wai in collaboration with the nonprofit Genki Ala Wai Project, under the Hawaii Exemplary State Foundation. Through bioremediation, or the use of living organisms to remove pollutants from soil and water, the nonprofit organization is working to make the Ala Wai Canal fishable and swimmable within 7 years. The tennis ball-sized Genki mud balls contain a mixture of clay soil, rice bran, molasses, water and Effective Microorganisms (EM)-1 solution, which helps digest the canal’s polluted sludge.

“The Ala Wai Canal is part of what makes the Hawai‘i Convention Center so special, and we are proud to be responsible stewards of this iconic waterway,” said Teri Orton, General Manager of the Hawai‘i Convention Center.

This effort is part of the Center’s Hoʻomaluō (to conserve or manage wisely) conservation program. Hoʻomaluō guides the Center’s leadership in environmental best practices, including energy consumption, water use and waste diversion. November 15 also marked the start of the Global Month of Giving, an initiative spearheaded by ASM Global to help support and give back to local communities.

America Recycles Day is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to celebrate the recycling and waste reduction efforts of communities and businesses throughout the U.S.  

The Hawaii Convention Center joins AEG1Earth in recognizing World Water Day on March 22nd.

Some of our Water Conservation Efforts include:

• Automatic dispensers for sink faucets, hand towels, hand soap and hand sanitizer in all restrooms save on water, towels and cleansing product.
• Low-flush toilets and urinals and low-flow aerators in sinks and showers are used throughout the building to reduce water use.
• Installed artificial turf on 25% of lawn space to reduce need for watering
• Xeriscaping and drip irrigation in the landscaping minimize water use.

For more information on our Sustainability initiatives, visit our website.

What is World Water Day?

Sustainable Development Goal 6 is crystal clear: water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind. But today, billions of people are still living without safe water – their households, schools, workplaces, farms and factories struggling to survive and thrive.

Marginalized groups – women, children, refugees, indigenous peoples, disabled people and many others – are often overlooked, and sometimes face discrimination, as they try to access and manage the safe water they need.

This World Water Day, 22nd March, is about tackling the water crisis by addressing the reasons why so many people are being left behind.

For more information, visit: http://www.worldwaterday.org/

EARTH HOUR is held worldwide on March 30th between 8:30pm – 9:30pm (local time).
Individuals, communities, households and businesses are encouraged to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for the planet.

To learn more about Earth Hour and the issue of climate change, visit www.earthhour.org

At the HAWAI‘I CONVENTION CENTER we work hard to reduce our impact on the environment through energy-efficient lighting and an active recycling program.

Join us in Recycling, Re-using and Re-purposing!

America Recycles Day is a nationally-recognized day dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States. Founded in 1997, America Recycles Day is a project of Keep America Beautiful, a national nonprofit that engages individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment and is celebrated by
thousands of communities each year.

Honolulu, Hawai‘i, October 2, 2018 – To mark its 20th year of operations, the Hawai‘i Convention Center is launching the Hoʻomaluō Program, a comprehensive approach to environmental sustainability with the goal of enhancing the guest, planner, staff and community meetings and events experience.

Hoʻomaluō is launching in conjunction with the 2018 American Dental Association (ADA) – America’s Dental Meeting. The meeting, to be held from Oct. 18-22, will draw over 15,000 registrants from 46 countries, while generating an estimated $70.8 million in statewide visitor spending. It is ADA’s third annual conference at the Center, including the building’s largest-ever gathering of 30,000 attendees in 1999. The ADA returned in 2009, marking the association’s 150th anniversary. The ADA has committed to reforesting 100 Legacy Trees.

“As contributing members of our community, both professional and personal, we are always working to give back to the public,” said ADA President-Elect Jeffrey M. Cole, D.D.S. “Our organization’s vision is helping the public achieve optimal health, so it made sense to participate in this effort. The Hawaiian Legacy Reforestation Initiative and Hawai‘i Convention Center offer a unique opportunity to offset our carbon footprint in traveling here and to help keep the islands that we love pristine and picturesque for years to come.”

Hoʻomaluō, which means “to conserve; to use or manage wisely” in the Hawaiian language, celebrates the Center’s recent award of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) v.4 O+M: Existing Buildings Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. The Center is the first and only “public assembly, convention center” to earn LEED v.4 O+M Gold Certification in the U.S., and is the only LEED v.4 O+M Gold project in Hawai‘i. This certification places the Center among a select group of buildings to complete an extensive review of sustainability and conservation practices.

“At the Hawai‘i Convention Center, our guests, planners, staff and communities have come together for more than two decades to preserve, protect and enhance the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands,” said Teri Orton, general manager of the Center. “This LEED certification nationally recognizes the dedicated work of our staff to make our Hoʻomaluō Program a reality. Since our opening 20 years ago, the Hawai‘i Convention Center has been deeply committed to a multi-faceted approach to environmental conservation that inspires everything we do and touches everyone we serve.”

Hoʻomaluō includes the Center’s work to conserve and reuse resources; maintain a high quality of operations, such as climate, guest comfort and building design; and careful attention to reducing waste throughout each stage in the event process. The Center incorporates guest education and participation through its One Million Trees effort to support the reforestation of endemic Legacy Trees in Hawai‘i.

In addition, the Center, which is operated by AEG Facilities – the leading sports, live entertainment and venue operator in the world – participates in AEG’s industry-leading corporate sustainability program AEG 1EARTH, which helps it exchange best practices with other AEG Facilities venues and track environmental performance.

About the Hawai‘i Convention Center

“Where Business and Aloha Meet,” the 1.1 million-square-foot Hawai‘i Convention Center provides a spacious, modern and flexible meeting space in the heart of Honolulu – all with an award-winning team and renowned aloha spirit. Conveniently located between East and West, the Center is a global leader for a diverse array of meetings and events, just steps from 30,000 hotel rooms in iconic Waikiki. The Center is a state-owned facility opened in 1998, and is managed by AEG Facilities. For more, visit HawaiiConvention.com.

About the American Dental Association

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing 161,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public’s health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA’s state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA’s flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA’s consumer website MouthHealthy.org

About AEG Facilities

AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, is the leading sports and live entertainment company in the world. AEG Facilities, a stand-alone division of AEG, and its affiliates owns, operates or consults with more than 150 of the industry’s preeminent venues worldwide, across five continents, providing complete venue management, as well as specialized programs in operations, guest services, ticketing, booking, sales and marketing. AEG Facilities also provides resources and access to other AEG-affiliated entities, including AEG Presents, one of the largest live music companies in the world, AEG Global Partnerships and AEG Real Estate, as well as such industry leading programs as AEG 1Earth and AEG Encore to support the success of its venues across the globe. The Los Angeles-based organization owns, operates or provides services to the world’s most elite venues, including STAPLES Center and Microsoft Theater (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), Sprint Center (Kansas City, MO.), Valley View Casino Center (San Diego, CA), KFC Yum! Center (Louisville, KY.), AmericanAirlines Arena (Miami, Fla.), Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Target Center (Minneapolis, MN), Oracle Arena and Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland, CA), PPG Paints Arena (Pittsburgh, PA), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Cadillac Arena (Beijing, China), The O2 (London, England), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Berlin, Germany), Barclaycard Arena (Hamburg, Germany), SSE Hydro (Glasgow, UK), RAC Arena (Perth, Australia), Qudos Bank Arena and ICC (Sydney, Australia), Ericsson Globe Arena (Stockholm, Sweden), Los Angeles Convention Center (Los Angeles, Calif.), Hawaii Convention Center (Honolulu, HI), Puerto Rico Convention Center (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and the Oman Convention & Exhibition Center (Muscat, Oman). For more, visit aegworldwide.com.

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Media Contacts:

Teddi Anderson
President
TLC PR
(808) 535-9099
teddi@tlcpr.com

Julia Nissim
American Dental Association
mediarelations@ada.org