Greenwashing the Cape Town Conference Centre?
The carbon footprint of international conferences held in Cape Town is almost entirely a function of travel. Erecting the greenest building in South Africa will probably have greater public relations value than environmental impact, if the air travel component is not addressed.
The New Conference Centre
Following a feasibility study the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) has decided to invest 130 million US$ in the extension of its facilities. The planned expansion will include 9,500 m² of exhibition and a total of 30,000 m².
In announcing the plans it was stated that the building would be South Africa’s greenest building! Rashid Toefy, the CEO of CTICC’s holding company said “In the context of climate change, sustainable business development and being in a competitive industry, CTICC’s focus must be on minimising its carbon footprint and the environmental impact of any planned expansion.”
