Balboa Park’s Old Globe Theatre is featured alongside some of the most impressive green venues in the world in the U.S. Green Building Council’s report, LEED in Motion: Venues. The report highlights the efforts of convention centers, sports venues, performing arts centers, community centers and public assembly spaces to transform their environmental, social and economic footprint through LEED certification.

The Old Globe is one of four venues featured in the “Performing Arts Centers” category. It’s in the distinguished company of the New Orleans Jazz Market, Stephen Sondheim Theatre in New York, and Pittsburgh Opera’s Westinghouse Air Brake Factory. The report calls attention some of The Old Globe’s key accomplishments:

“Low-flow fixtures and aerators reduced overall water usage by 32%, LED retrofits and timer installations resulted in savings of over 14,000 kilowatt hours per year, and an increase of recycling bins and staff education created the potential for more waste diversion. Achieving LEED Silver under LEED O+M: Existing Buildings is just the starting point of the Globe’s commitment to sustainability.”

With the help of the City of San Diego, San Diego Gas and Electric®, San Diego Green Building Council and Balboa Park cultural institutions, the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership sought LEED certification for existing buildings to help verify and quantify the energy saving projects that had been taking place within member organizations, and to help identify other areas of improvement. LEED certified buildings in Balboa Park now help create a cleaner environment for staff and visitors, run building operations efficiently and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, they allow cultural organizations to have a talking point with the public about the topic of environmental sustainability.

The authors of LEED in Motion: Venues posed the question: “What are benefits of pursuing LEED certification for venues?” The response from Jessica Travis, Director of Sustainability and Community Relations for Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, was included in the document:

“Parks and cultural centers are our communities’ classrooms and gathering places. For these organizations, going through the LEED process creates a forum for valuable conversations— increasing opportunities for improvement both in operations and in visitor engagement.”

Below are the ten LEED-certified buildings in Balboa Park

1. San Diego Natural History Museum (LEED certified, 2009)
2. Fleet Science Center (LEED Silver, 2010 & recertified 2015)
3. WorldBeat Cultural Center (LEED Silver, 2012)
4. Casa de Balboa (LEED Silver, 2015)
5. Casa del Prado (LEED Silver, 2015)
6. House of Charm (LEED Silver, 2015)
7. The Old Globe Theatre (LEED Silver, 2015)
8. San Diego Hall of Champions (all LEED Silver, 2015)
9. Inamori Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden (LEED certified, 2016)
10. San Diego Museum of Man (LEED Gold, 2016)