Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Awarded for Global Sustainability Leadership

For Immediate Release: Wed., July 18
 

Contact: Julie LaBar | Director of Marketing and Communications
412/622-6915, ext. 3801 ǀ jlabar@phipps.conservatory.org

Maria Jimenez | Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group
909/529-2737 | jmaria@bintelligence.com

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens Awarded for Global Sustainability Leadership
Phipps provides a model of how we can all work together with nature to live healthier, better lives, inspiring visitors worldwide and receiving additional recognition.

Pittsburgh, PA — The Business Intelligence Group has awarded Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens a Sustainability Leadership Award in the 2018 Sustainability Awards program. The Sustainability Awards honor those people, teams and organizations who have made sustainability an integral part of their business practice or overall mission. In total, 43 people, projects and organizations were awarded for driving sustainability efforts.

Celebrating 125 years, the Conservatory has evolved into one of the most vibrant, thriving cultural attractions and a leading advocate for advanced green-building practices, sustainable gardening and environmental awareness nationally. Phipps demonstrates that people, plants, health, planet and beauty are inextricably connected, and that sustainable actions — from the construction of one of the world’s greenest buildings to the planting of a raised vegetable garden bed — are vital to ensuring that these critical interconnections are harmonious, mutually beneficial and preserved for future generations.  

Sustainability highlights include: 

• Phipps increased its renewable energy generation, adding a 60kW solar array and bringing generation capacity to 200kW.
• While expanding the campus, Phipps has reduced CO2 emissions from 2005 levels by 56% per square foot, exceeding the Paris Climate Agreement goals.
• Phipps began construction of the Exhibit Staging Center, revitalizing a former public works building on a brownfield. Designed to be net-positive energy and net-zero water, upon completion, Phipps’ Living Campus will include new construction (Center for Sustainable Landscapes), modular (Nature Lab) and renovated (Exhibit Staging Center) green building designs.
• Phipps took additional steps to educate professionals on the benefits of embracing a holistic, sustainable commitment. The organization launched a new Sustainability Training Workshop program, with the next public workshop available Oct. 9 – 10, 2018, providing professionals with personalized tools and hands-on training on green buildings. The organization also developed a free online Green Building Toolkit Series that details the process behind Phipps’ green project certifications as a resource for others.
• To show guests that everyone can make a difference in addressing critical issues like climate change, Phipps launched the Make the Switch at Phipps! Green Power Drive. This partnership with a green energy provider encourages guests to switch their home electricity supplier to 100% renewable energy. Those that do are given a free membership to Phipps. To date, more than 3,000 households have participated in the program, preventing 24,000 tons of CO2 emissions — the equivalent of 55 million miles driven by an average passenger car.

Learn more about Phipps’ sustainability leadership, innovation and impact at phipps.conservatory.org/green-innovation.

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About Phipps: Founded in 1893, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA is a green leader among public gardens with a mission to inspire and educate all with the beauty and importance of plants; to advance sustainability and promote human and environmental well-being through action and research; and to celebrate its historic glasshouse. Phipps commemorates its 125th anniversary throughout 2018, celebrating its historic past, vibrant present and exciting future ahead — including inspiring seasonal flower shows, community events, public programs and groundbreaking green innovation. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org.

Photo © Paul g. Wiegman