ORLANDO, FLORIDA, April 19 – IDEAS, an Orlando-based brand and experience design firm, will join respected circular economy consultancy Yorth Group to present Circular Economy and Net-Positive Development in Themed Entertainment at the greenloop attractions conference on April 19 at 11am EDT. The presentation will feature IDEAS Chief Storytelling Officer Bob Allen and Yorth Group CEO Björgvin Saevarsson discussing how park designers and operators can prepare for the coming paradigm shift toward circular economy.
Theme parks, by their nature, are resource-heavy enterprises with significant social and environmental footprints. While many operators have set goals to mitigate their impact, more fundamental, system-wide changes are required to meet growing resource, environmental and social justice value creation requirements. The responsibility falls on designers to ensure the next generation of destination entertainment looks beyond the goal of sustainability to be net-positive enterprises.
In their presentation, IDEAS and Yorth Group will discuss how tomorrow’s parks must make this change by embracing a circular economic model. Design Architect, David Exline notes ““As an architect and designer, I’m excited by the potential of completely new ideas about materials and methods that transformational development brings to the table. We also see a lot of resonance with the next generation of practitioners coming out of colleges and that fresh talent is critical to take us into the next couple of decades.”
Yorth Group is a leading authority on circular economy, defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency as “an economy that uses a systems-focused approach and involves industrial processes and economic activities that are restorative or regenerative by design…” The company has advised the World Economic Forum among others and worked with large-scale businesses and municipalities to implement restorative development plans.
CEO Björgvin Saevarsson says, “Circular economy is a systematic approach that benefits the environment, society, local businesses, as well as the bottom line. We believe innovative industries like destination entertainment have unique opportunity to lead other resource-heavy verticals in implementing this approach to design.”
Over its 20-year history, IDEAS has experienced the increased necessity for more socially and environmentally conscious projects across destination entertainment, business, government, and healthcare.
According to Bob Allen, “Sustainability, like the word “green”, has become a corporate cliché that few truly understand and without a measurable standard of performance. Our work has shown us it is not a list with checkmarks but a design philosophy and business strategy that actually increases returns on capital and long-term brand viability through responsible action. We are excited to collaborate with an organization like Yorth Group who has distilled this thinking into a precise science.”
An early rendering of California Space Academy, a space-themed entertainment and education destination the will be designed and built sustainably in Lompoc, CA.
IDEAS has seen great demand for a project that makes sustainability a key element of design and storytelling with the California Space Academy, a new immersive entertainment and education attraction proposed for Lompoc, CA.
Steven Franck, CEO of park developer Pale Blue Dot Ventures, agrees, “When we speak to investors and potential partners about California Space Academy and the sister projects we will develop around the world, we see a keen interest and a growing appreciation for this kind of comprehensive value creation. One key tenet of the US space effort, public and private, is to use our exploratory technology to understand Earth and make it better for the people and other species who live on it in the future. This balanced development model is perfect for what we’re trying to do.”
To learn more about the California Space Academy, visit www.palebluedotventures.com.
Tickets to the greenloop 2022 are now available. Purchase yours here.
About IDEAS
Created in 2001 through a management buyout from the Walt Disney Company, IDEAS is a brand and experience design company built around the central premise that powerful stories create powerful experiences. Over 20 years, IDEAS has delivered more than 3500 solutions for destination development, healthcare, government, enterprise and entertainment to more than 1000 clients around the world. For more, visit www.ideasorlando.com
About Yorth Group
Yorth Group is a leader in providing measurement and accountability tools for the circular economy and net-positive (restorative) development. Our metrics clearly define failure and success by benchmarking actions and outcomes against net-negative, neutral and net-positive performance standards. For more visit: www.yorthgroup.com
About Exline Design and Architecture
Exline is a Southern California based environmental design consultancy specializing in the entertainment, recreational resort, theme-park, mixed-use retail and exhibit design industries. Established in 1985, The company has worked on projects around the globe ranging from new builds and start-ups to refurbishment and expansion programs. For more visit: https://exlinedesign.com/
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