Monona Terrace is a LEED® Platinum Green Meetings Industry Leader
At Monona Terrace, sustainability is at the forefront of everything we do. As a LEED-EB Platinum Level “green building” we’re committed to responsible environmental stewardship, and demonstrating what’s possible in the events industry.
In 2021, Monona Terrace achieved the prestigious Platinum level certification status by the U.S. Green Building Council as LEED-EB: O&M (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Existing Building Operations and Maintenance). The LEED® rating system, developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.
In 2007, Monona Terrace became the first convention center in the nation to earn LEED® Silver certification. Monona Terrace has since continued to increase its sustainability performance to earn LEED® Gold certification in 2015. For the past five years Monona Terrace has furthered its sustainability performance, most recently achieving LEED® Platinum level certification in November 2021.
As a LEED® Platinum facility, Monona Terrace uses green energy purchases to offset 100 percent of electric power consumption and 100 percent of non-electric carbon emissions. On average, each year we offset 3,950,185 kWh of electric power consumption by purchasing certified clean source electricity, and save 816 metric tons of non-electric carbon emissions. Additionally, Monona Terrace uses 27 percent less energy than similar facilities in comparable climates across the nation.
We have installed high efficiency plumbing fixtures, appliances, and a drip irrigation system resulting in water usage that’s 43 percent below the LEED® benchmark. Monona Terrace’s interior lighting fixtures are light-emitting diode (LED), which are highly energy-efficient and last longer than other types of lighting.
Monona Terrace and Monona Catering partner with a local composting service to turn food waste into quality soil. The project annually diverts over 35,000 pounds of organic kitchen waste from landfills, reducing the production of methane into the atmosphere. The organic materials are then recycled into a nutrient-rich soil amendment used by area farmers.
Monona Catering uses china dishes and cloth napkins for the majority of events and offers recyclable products to guests when necessary. Locally sourced foods are prominently featured on menus when possible. Each year an average of 5,500 pounds of food is donated to local pantries.
Our William T. Evjue Rooftop Gardens host over 6,800 square feet of native prairie plantings that conserve water and attract important pollinators. Those plantings are used to reseed other City of Madison green spaces.
With its sustainability initiatives, Monona Terrace honors the legacy of its renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Before the world was talking about green buildings, Wright pioneered an organic approach that honored the relationship between nature and man.
“The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built.”
— Frank Lloyd Wright