Earth Action Hero: The green Mall of America

Since the 5.6-million-square-foot Mall of America opened in 1992, it has focused on sustainability. One of the most surprising features is that MOA doesn’t use central heating. To maintain its 65-to-70-degree temperature range, MOA uses what’s available—body heat from the 32 million annual visitors, light fixture heat and eight acres, a total of 1.2 miles of skylights.

Space was planned for heaters when MOA was built before the architects and engineers quickly realized central heating was not necessary. Having no central heating system saves a lot of energy, even with some heaters in some department stores and near the entrances. The space reserved for central heating infrastructure was used for the Sea Life Aquarium.

“We did not have plans for an aquarium in the beginning,” said Dan Jasper, senior vice president of MOA Press. “The sustainable effort that eliminated central heating also led to this amazing guest experience.”

An added bonus: The more than 30,000 plants and 300 live trees act as natural air purifiers.

“I think people sometimes think that green can’t be business friendly,” Jasper added. “But if you save energy, you save money that can go to creating more exciting things for visitors.”