WHAT:
The Orlando Science Center unveils its state-of-the-art eco-friendly HVAC system and solar panel array and launches its plan for a major lighting retrofit. These efforts are part of the Science Center’s dedication to increase energy efficiency, decrease operational costs and help serve as a community leader demonstrating the use of sustainable technologies.
WHO:
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, City Commissioners Phil Diamond, Robert Stuart, and Patty Sheehan, Orange County Commissioners Bill Segal and Linda Stewart and executives from Orlando Utilities Commission, Darden Restaurants, and Walmart Stores.
WHEN & WHERE:
Wednesday, June 16 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Orlando Science Center, 777 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803
WHY:
The Orlando Science Center’s made a major move toward becoming a “green” organization with the recent installation of a new energy-efficient HVAC system and the addition of a solar panel system and a roof replacement. This event announces the completion of the organization’s first steps towards attaining the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for its facility.
Many partners contributed to the success of this effort, including the City of Orlando, Orange County, the Orange County Arts and Cultural Affairs Council, Irvine Mechanical, OUC the Reliable One and Darden Restaurant Foundation.
$125K CHECK PRESENTED:
Joaquin Gonzalez Varela, Senior Vice President for Walmart Stores, Inc with responsibility for all Florida operations, will make a check presentation of $125,000 on behalf of the Walmart Foundation. These funds will underwrite a retrofit of 3,000 of the facility’s lamps with energy-efficient technologies as well as provide community access to the Science Center through four “Walmart $5 Admission Days” over the next year.
TOURS:
The Science Center plans to use their facility to showcase energy efficient sustainable technologies and their impact on the environment. Educational experiences, including tours of the HVAC’s innovative chiller plant and the solar panel array, have been developed to demonstrate the science behind sustainability and its positive impact on the operations of the Science Center and the environment in general.
