The Hannover Congress Centrum is one of four German Conference Centres, which was awarded for its outstanding efforts in environmental protection on 12.03.2010 on the ITB world tourism fair in Berlin. The basis of this award is the certification by the international organization Green Globe, which is active in 50 countries and has reviewed more than 1,000 institutions, mostly hotels, and certified them as sustainably operating establishments.

The HCC received the highest rating of all similar institutions in Europe, said Dr. Peter Zimmer, Auditor of Green Globe at the presentation of the certification.
A driving force behind the positive development was the HCC’s participation in the project “Ökoprofit” that has already seen the participation of nearly 100 companies in Hannover.

Joachim König could come up with impressive figures at the presentation of certification: After completion of the currently ongoing reorganization and building program of the HCC in 2011 the energy consumption will be 15 to 20% lower than in 2008, through improved recycling the waste production could be improved by more than 40%. Last year, 240,000 € were invested in new lifts suitable for disabled persons and organizers are actively assisted through a package of measures to plan their events in the HCC in a more sustainable way.

The HCC-director also pointed out that not only the positive environmental effects but also tangible economic benefits speak for certification. König: “It is expected that the demand for “green meetings” will increase and in the future conference and event venues will be preferred if they are positively involved in this area.

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