WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) annual Greenbuild conference welcomed nearly 30,000 attendees in November at its show in Boston, the most robust crowd in the show’s seven year history. Greenbuild is the world’s largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, and convenes the building industry for three days of educational sessions, renowned speakers, green building tours, seminars and networking events.
This year’s show offered a slate of educational offerings, covering a diverse array of current topics, from green jobs, green building technologies, to biodiversity and social equity. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Laureate and revered advocate against poverty and human rights abuses, kicked off the show as the opening keynote speaker as he touched upon the importance of human welfare in the green building equation. To watch all of the plenary and master speaker sessions from Greenbuild, including Tutu’s remarks, visit USGBC’s interactive green building learning portal, www.Greenbuild365.org.
“This year’s Greenbuild was a great success, and we are grateful for such growth and good fellowship, especially during a time of economic uncertainty,” said Kimberly Lewis, vice president, Conference & Events, USGBC. “The show proved that green building is not only alive and well, but thriving.”
Greenbuild 2008 showcased the newest innovations in green building on the largest show floor in Greenbuild history, with more than 800 exhibitors—68 percent more than last year’s show in Chicago. Other unique offerings at the show included nearly 20 green building tours of Boston and New England, USGBC member day, and the first-ever residentially focused Green Homebuilders Day featuring Kevin O’Connor, host of This Old House.
USGBC Annual Report Released
Dovetailing with Greenbuild was the release of USGBC’s first Annual Report, celebrating the organizations’ 15-year anniversary. 15 Years, 15 Stories, a collection of short video vignettes compiled in conjunction with the release of the report, features USGBC founding members and leaders, tracking the green building movement from its infancy, and is available online at www.usgbc.org/about.
LEED 2009, the long-awaited update to the internationally recognized LEED green building certification program, passed member ballot during the conference and will be introduced in spring 2009 as the next major evolution of the existing LEED rating systems for commercial buildings. LEED for Neighborhood Development opened up for public comment during the show and will be open until January 5, 2009.
Also celebrated at this year’s show were the 2008 recipients of the seventh annual Leadership Awards, which recognize companies and individuals who signify a strong commitment to the green building industry. A collection of video footage of the recipients of the 2008 Leadership Awards is also available online at www.Greenbuild365.org.
Other recently added content from Greenbuild 2008 available on Greenbuild365 includes:
• “LEED 2009 Lift Off” Session: a walk-through of the changes being made to LEED, the latest evolution of the LEED green building certification system;
• Master Speaker Session with Van Jones, president and founder of Green For All;
• Closing Plenary Session with Panelists E.O. Wilson and Janine Benyus; and
• USGBC Member Forum.
