California Science Center
When it comes to hosting meetings and social events, more and more businesses and organizations are looking for backdrops that are environmentally friendly. Many of LA’s venues promote sustainable menus, recycled materials and solar energy — and that’s just for starters. If you want to get the party started, try adding some green to your next event with these green venues.
Whatever size gathering, LA has an environmentally friendly site to accommodate the smallest or largest of groups. The 867,000-square-foot Los Angeles Convention Center (LACC), which boasts the largest solar-generating building in North America, is the nation’s greenest. It has the capability to recycle 99 percent of used trade show materials, as well as transform food waste into animal waste. It also recycles garden waste and is avid when it comes to water conservation.
For more space, choose among LA’s meeting hotels certified by the California Green Lodging Program. Examples include:
- Westin Los Angeles Airport: 40,000 square feet of meeting space
- Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens: meeting and event space for up to 850 people in Downtown LA
- Fairmont Miramar Hotel: 25,000 square feet of functional space; its EcoMeet program provides built-in green transportation alternatives, environmentally friendly meals and meeting facilities, environmental education opportunities and eco-adventure activities.
Green off-site opportunities are abundant, too. Selections include the Wright Organic Resource Center, a 24-acre ocean-view estate, ideal for workshops and special events. Run by architect Eric Lloyd Wright, the grandson of acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the center offers his expertise on the use of ecological materials and technologies in building. The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach is SoCal’s largest aquarium and provides an environmentally aware setting for 150 to 3,000, while the Los Angeles Audubon Center, a Platinum LEED-certified building, the highest rating bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council, has on-site catering and welcomes small, non-profit groups.
When looking for an eco-chic place to party, look no further than the California Science Center. Each of the four venues within the Science Center boast an ecologically-minded environment that is sure to inspire any visitor. Dozens of electric vehicle charging stations await guests in a parking structure designed to teach visitors about California native and drought tolerate plants. The indoor eco-systems, such as the 8,000-square-foot bamboo garden and fresh-water pond, create a beautiful backdrop to any event. The on-site composting center turns catering scraps into green gold. A vegetative roofing system tops the building with water wise shrubbery. Many other eco-efficient features make up event space for 10-10,000 guests.
Opening in the spring of 2010 is an inspiring new addition to the California Science Center, the World of Ecology (working title) which will include over 170,000 square feet of interactive exhibits featuring the world’s most fascinating habitats.
There's also plenty of options to go green and get outdoors in Los Angeles. With some 214,000 acres of wide open green space seemingly destined for activities and adventure, visitors have easy access to perhaps more nature and outdoor recreation areas in LA than in any other city. One such treasure is Griffith Park which, at 4,014 acres, is the nation’s largest municipal park.
Get more information about other green event venues in Los Angeles.
