The US’s First LEED Registered Movie Theater Is Now Open, And We Were There

by Jeffrey

eco-celebrities, green building, green events, LEED, videos

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It’s official, the Majestic 12–which is the 1st LEED registered movie theater in the country–is open for business…and in the small town of Chattanooga, TN.

I was down in Chattanooga for the non-profit gala the night before the grand opening and was able to catch up with the brains behind the project.

Check out this interview with Dale Hurst, Director of Marketing for Carmike Cinemas, and Jeff Pfitzer, Director of Special Projects for River City Company (who are the developers of the theater).

They answer all kinds of questions from, “What is LEED and why does it matter?” to “Why Chattanooga for the 1st LEED registered movie theater in the country?

Good stuff.

The biggest question surrounding the opening of this 12-plex has most definitely been, “…but why Chattanooga?”.

If you’ve ever been to Chattanooga, you’d understand. It’s one of the most progressive cities in the south. It’s gone through a drastic re-invention over the last 15 years and is now an outdoor mecca filled with beautiful parks, surrounded by mountains, designed to mike biking an easy way to get around, free electric shuttle service downtown, and oh-so-much more!

The theater is LEED registered and will soon receive its anticipated LEED Gold certification (.pdf)…but what is LEED and why does it matter? Jeff Pfitzer gives a GREAT answer in the above video, so check it out.

As our friends at Ecorazzi reported late last month,

“The Carmike Majestic’s green credentials also include use of recycled construction materials, roof-mounted solar energy panels, energy efficient light and water recycling for landscaping and restrooms and a low-pollutant maintenance program.”

– Ecorazzi

Check out the video above to see Jeff Pfitzer and Dale Hurst get even further into what makes the Carmike Majestic 12 so eco-friendly…some of the features are obvious, and some are not.

You can also check out Chattanooga Has Fun’s video of the ribbon cutting last Friday.

By the way, ticket prices will be pretty standard.

Stay tuned to our next post that will show you inside the Majestic 12’s VIP club and initial reactions by some of the gala goers.