From left to right, NOENMCC employees—Rodney Williams, Project Manager-Capital Project Delivery; Donna George, Operations Manager- Environmental; Linda Baynham, Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility—and Zack Henley of AECOM Hunt pose with the Convention Center’s Environmental Leadership Program Award.
Environmental Leadership Program Award Recognizes the Convention Center for Record-breaking Recycling Rate on a Building Renovation Project
NEW ORLEANS – New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC) sustainability initiatives are yielding excellent results, from ramped up recycling rates to significant reductions in energy and water usage. Recognizing the Convention Center’s impactful programs aimed at reducing its environmental footprint, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality recently presented the NOENMCC with the Environmental Leadership Program Award for Energy and Water Pollution Reduction.
In 2024, NOENMCC recycling programs diverted more than 245 tons of materials from being dumped in landfills. Over the last six years, the Convention Center has cut electricity use by 11% and reduced water usage by 16%.
“In everything we do here at the Convention Center, we seek out opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle,” said Convention Center Chief Operating Officer Adam J. Straight. “We are taking a comprehensive approach—facilitating attendee and exhibitor recycling, upgrading our facility, offering kitchen composting and food donation programs and prioritizing waste diversion in our construction projects—and we’re seeing real results. As the largest LEED certified building in the state, our hope is that, by sharing our processes and our progress, we might inspire other organizations to initiate, or continue to work toward, their own sustainability goals.”
The NOENMCC cut energy use by upgrading HVAC systems, installing an energy-efficient roofing system, and by replacing over 4,000 incandescent bulbs with LED lights that use 80% less energy. It was those changes, combined with other conservation practices, that enabled the Convention Center to reduce its electricity use by 11% or 4.8M kWh. That’s enough electricity to power roughly 500 typical U.S. homes for a full year.
By installing low flow fixtures in restrooms and upgrading cooling towers, the Convention Center has reduced water usage by 16% since 2019. The volume of water saved would be enough to fill 670 backyard swimming pools.
On April 9, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) recognized the NOENMCC for its sustainability efforts at the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) Awards in Baton Rouge. The Convention Center received the ELP Energy and Water Pollution Reduction award for its successful waste diversion efforts on a recent construction project.
From the earliest stages of planning a major renovation of meeting spaces, the NOENMCC prioritized waste reduction and material diversion from landfills. The project achieved an impressive 84% waste diversion rate within three months. By recycling and repurposing a variety of materials—carpet, ceiling panels, concrete, metal and cardboard—the Convention Center successfully diverted 461,743 pounds of waste from landfills. The NOENMCC worked with several partners on the construction—including AECOM Hunt-Broadmoor—to manage the project and establish and monitor the recycling program throughout the project’s duration.
“We are honored to be recognized by the LDEQ for this project and for our commitment to responsible renovation practices, and we are fortunate to work with some incredible individuals and organizations as we pursue our sustainability goals,” said Linda Baynham, the Convention Center’s Director of Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. “Whether we’re working with our internal teams to optimize energy-saving practices, Osprey Initiative to recycle three tons of Mardi Gras throws, Sustainable Investment Group to manage a waste audit, WastePro to maximize our recycling efforts or Green Coast Enterprises to track our progress—we know the value of teamwork. I know it will be key to our continued success in further expanding the programs and innovations helping to transform our 1980s building into a modern green facility.”
To learn more about NOENMCC sustainability programs, visit mccno.com/sustainability.
About the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center (NOENMCC)
New Orleans is Built to Host! With 1.1 million square feet of prime exhibit space on one level, all under one roof, NOENMCC is tied for the sixth-largest convention center in the United States. NOENMCC is a 2025 Exhibitor Magazine Centers of Excellence recipient and is consistently named a regional top workplace by The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. A recent LEED Gold certification makes NOENMCC the largest LEED-certified project in Louisiana and the largest convention center project in the U.S. certified under LEED v4.1 Operations and Maintenance, as well as the first convention center in the world to be awarded initial certification under LEED Gold v4.1 O+M. A leading contributor to the city’s robust tourism economy, NOENMCC event activity has produced $90.1 billion in economic impact since its 1985 opening.
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