NEW YORK CITY — This Earth Day, Trade Show Executive (TSE) spoke with Joyce Leveston, CMM, CVP, CEO of Javits Center, about the venue’s impressive sustainability work and how trade show professionals can join their efforts.
ANDREW: Why is sustainability a priority for Javits Center?
JOYCE: Javits Center’s mission is to serve New York. We do that by being a catalyst for economic development and being a good neighbor to our community.
Our sustainability initiatives are good for both the community and our bottom line. We attract business to New York by having the tools in place to fulfill their own sustainability goals.
We also serve as an example of what can be accomplished in a building of our size without sacrificing quality of work. The benefits of our sustainability initiatives extend beyond our front doors.
The green roof can absorb up to seven million gallons of rainwater each year, preventing it from overwhelming the sewer system or flooding the nearby Hudson River. The green roof also brought down the heat flux by 1.9 degrees Fahrenheit creating an urban oasis in our neighborhood.
ANDREW: How do its sustainability enhancements benefit the venue and its events?
JOYCE: From our green roof to our rooftop farm to our truck marshaling building, our sustainability infrastructure has elevated the Javits Center experience. Our one-acre Steel Farm, named after former CEO Alan Steel, produces over 60 varieties of crops that are used by our in-house catering team, CULTIVATED, to create delicious farm-to-table meals you can’t experience anywhere else.
The 6.75-acre green roof acts as natural insulation to keep the warm air in during the winter and cool air in during the summer. That is incredibly beneficial when working on temperature regulation for large-scale events and has helped reduce our energy consumption by 26%.
Our truck marshaling building is another asset that marries sustainability and efficiency for our customers. With enough space to house 200 semitrucks, the truck marshaling building makes loading in and out events a breeze while also reducing traffic and emissions associated with trucks having to circle the block or returning to their original destinations.
ANDREW: What are some unique F&B offerings that come from the Steel Farm?
JOYCE: Steel Farm produces the freshest ingredients possible for our culinary team. CULTIVATED works hand in hand with the farmers from Brooklyn Grange, who manage Steel Farm, to plan the crop schedule that matches with their menus – resulting in over 80% of the produce coming off the farm being used in our catering.
For example, it can be expensive to source fresh herbs that really elevate a dish so those have become a big focus for Steel Farm. The chefs create soups and vegetable sandwiches that primarily use produce from the farm.
Our Lunch & Learn experience includes a multi-course meal where every course includes produce from Steel Farm. Another example from this past year was our very successful raspberry harvest that produced 375 pounds of berries. This was used in a new drink called the Raspberry Bourbon Smash, which was a big hit.
Many of our infused waters, teas and drinks use mint and other fruits from the farm for fresh, flavorful beverages.
ANDREW: How do sustainable strategies benefit the events industry as a whole?
JOYCE: Sustainable strategies benefit the events industry as a whole by meeting the demand of our customers and creating more efficient waste diversion processes.
There is a lot of waste associated with large-scale events, but we have seen a reduction in total waste by over 350 tons from 2023 to 2024 while maintaining the same diversion rate because event organizers are making more sustainable decisions from the start.
Customers want to host sustainable events and having that capability is a great selling point. Sustainability is something that just makes sense for the events industry.
ANDREW: Did Javits Center encounter any challenges when implementing its impressive sustainability features? If so, how were these surmounted?
JOYCE: The biggest challenge is how to best utilize and communicate our sustainability features. Being an innovator means you’re forging the path so there isn’t a rulebook for us to follow.
Luckily, we have an incredibly talented and dedicated staff that works hard to find ways to bring us to the next level. They helped organize subject matter experts and train our staff on how to implement our sustainability strategies.
For example, our recycling bins focus on bottles and cans because when collecting all recyclables there was a lot of confusion that led to cross contamination. Having these clearly labeled blue bins completely turned around contamination on the show floor because our customers knew what to expect, our waste stream in cleaner and our back-of-house operations became more efficient.
Related. Raising the Bar: A Q&A with Joyce Leveston, CMM, CVP, CEO of Javits Center
ANDREW: Have recent geopolitical developments impacted Javits Center’s work in this area or made it more challenging?
JOYCE: Javits Center is committed to our sustainability goals. These goals start and end with us so we will remain on the path of making positive change in this area to create a more sustainable future for New York, our community and our customers.
ANDREW: How does Javits Center inform show organizers about its sustainability offerings, and make sure that the events it hosts are sustainable?
JOYCE: We have a dedicated Sustainability Team that helps guide engaged event organizers to best utilize our offerings. Event organizers receive a pre-event survey where they can opt in for a more in-depth, custom sustainability plan.
They can also request post-event surveys to provide actionable data. With the infrastructure and standard back-of-house operations we have in place, all events that happen at Javits Center have a baseline of sustainability before event organizers add on any of their requests.
ANDREW: Are there any new sustainability strategies in the works?
JOYCE: Particularly within our waste diversion, we want to ensure that we are using best practices to keep our waste streams separate and uncontaminated. Our most current strategy, our e-waste is an area of focus for us on how we can best capture that waste and dispose of it in a responsible manner.
We have a separate room for e-waste to keep it from getting lost or mixed in with other streams. We also want to look for new ways to talk about our sustainability strategies with the collaborators who help make sustainability a success, like RTS who assist with our waste management.
Javits Center is always looking for ways to refine our sustainability operations.
ANDREW: What advice would you give to an events professional who is inspired by the impressive work at Javits Center and wants to incorporate sustainability into their professional life?
JOYCE: Small changes add up to make a big impact. The best way to incorporate sustainability is to just start, even if it is something small.
It can start with an herb garden before it turns into a one-acre rooftop farm. You can help train your staff about best practices for recycling before you invest in balers for cardboard and soft plastic.
Turning down the heat or air conditioning when the venue isn’t in use can reduce energy consumption before you experiment with clean energy like solar panels. Many of these sustainable options also come with financial benefits, like LED lights that are more efficient and environmentally friendly.
These investments are worth it in the long run and provide lasting benefits for the community and your facility.
ANDREW: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
JOYCE: Javits Center is truly a gem — a leader in sustainability, technology and security. Joining Javits Center has been such a blessing for me. I’m thrilled to be in a position to make it shine even more!
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Photo Credit: Javits Center
