Here's a roundup of eco-initiatives:

Both the Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre have hosted a number of zero-waste conventions. The MTCC recently announced that it will offer “green” electricity to meeting planners by partnering with Bullfrog Power, a leading Canadian provider of wind power and low-impact water power. Bullfrog will work with MTCC to estimate the electricity usage of an event and add the equivalent amount of renewable power onto the provincial electricity system.

Meanwhile the Vancouver Con-vention & Exhibition Centre is adding a six-acre “living roof” growing 400,000 indigenous plants, along with seawater heating and cooling, on-site water treatment, and a fish habitat built into the facility.

The Québec City Convention Centre is in the process of obtaining LEED-EB (Leaders in Energy and Environmental Design-Existing Building) accreditation. Every year, Capital HRS, the center's caterer, gives excess food, about 15,000 to 20,000 meals a year, to a local shelter and rehabilitation center.

In Monaco, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation was created to encourage sustainable development.

Down under, Australia prides itself on a sustainable tourism foundation and commitment to protecting its heritage. Leading the charge is AIME, the AsiaPacific Incentive & Meetings Expo, held in Melbourne each February. It was announced that the 2008 event was Australia's first “Climate Neutral” exhibition.

The Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre has achieved a 6-star Green Star environmental rating, given by the Green Building Council Australia. Some of its features include a water-recycling plant, solar panels, energy-saving light controls, and “smart” air conditioning.

Among the world's Green Globe Benchmarked convention centers are Australia's Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre and Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.

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IMEX's Eco Focus