Sustainability

During construction, 50% of waste was diverted from the landfill, and more than 15% of materials used during construction contain post-consumer and/or post-industrial recycled materials.

20% of materials used in the construction of the FCC were extracted and manufactured regionally.

The FCC uses no products that contain added urea-formaldehyde.

Priority was given to maintaining indoor air quality for construction workers and future occupants. This was achieved by protecting the ductwork by sealing open ends and installing filtration media to capture dust in the ventilation system, and flushing out the building with fresh air prior to occupancy. In addition, building materials were protected from moisture damage that could potentially result in mold growth.

During construction, and on-going via maintenance, all paints, glues, carpeting and other materials are guaranteed low VOC, ensuring high air quality for building residents and visitors.

Storm, rainwater and snow melt are diverted from the roof to a 106,000 cubic litre cistern, and used to function 118 toilets and urinals in the complex. This innovative water diversion system reduces the Convention Centre’s demand on the City of Fredericton’s fresh, treated water system by 75.75%. This translates to a water savings (comparing the designed building to a baseline) of 5,304,233 litres every year. As a point of comparison, this is almost 8 times the amount of water it takes to fill the Fredericton Indoor Pool.

All washrooms in the complex have been equipped with low-flow toilets and carefully calibrated automatic faucets for optimal performance.

The building’s high albedo white roofing reflects, rather than absorbs, heat thus lowering air conditioning costs, reducing energy consumption and alleviating rather than contributing to the heat island effect of the downtown core.

Heating and ventilation systems are optimized for maximum energy performance, calibrated to assess factors such as occupancy, outside temperature and humidity. For example, cooler outside air will be captured and circulated to cool a room when possible, while maintaining comfort for building occupants.

The location of the building, access to public transportation, amenities within walking distance combined with features such as secure bike racks and changing areas are factors that contribute to efficient energy use by building occupants
Low-intensity fixtures reduce unnecessary light reflection and decrease energy consumption.

We time light and escalator use to each event schedule to conserve energy.

Attention to the environment was carefully considered during the construction phase:

• Using regional materials from local manufacturers not only helps support local industry, but reduces the carbon footprint of transporting materials. When possible, the FCC sourced materials that were extracted, processed and manufactured within 800 km by road or 2,400 km by rail or water. Locally sourced materials include: gravel and crushed stone, asphalt, certain concrete products, gypsum wallboard and wood products.
• All the interior paints, sealants, adhesives, and coatings in the FCC were chosen to be of low VOC content, to help create a healthy indoor environment.

When planning your event at FCC, we have numerous options to minimize environmental impact.

• Hands free refillable water stations throughout the building
• Paper and pens at stations, rather than at every place setting
• Menu options with little or no packaging available for nutrition breaks
• Digital signage throughout the building
• No idling policy on loading bay dock
• Sustainable purchasing, using locally owned businesses as much as possible
• A venue waste management recycling centre
• Energy efficient catering equipment
• Reducing food waste by only buying what is needed
• We strive to significantly reduce single use plastic throughout the Centre including straws, cups and bottles
• We incorporate local seasonal produce into our menus, which minimizes overall food kilometers
• Our seafood comes from certified sustainable sources
• Coffee and tea are fair trade and rainforest alliance certified
  
  

Working in partnership with our catering partners we ensure as little food waste as possible by donating to our local student hunger program when events are finished. Feed The Lions and the Fredericton Community Kitchen provide approximately 400 lunches to students daily, along with a backback program that offers food to be taken home every weekend.

Outside of the school year, Greener Village Fredericton work to ensure food gets to those who need it.

Our food donation efforts are part sustainability, part community support, 100% because we love where we live and want it to be better for everyone!