Registration Now Open for U.S. Green Building Council’s Annual Greenbuild Conference

More than 25,000 attendees are to attend the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) annual conference and exhibition, which will be held from Nov. 19-21 in Boston.

Greenbuild is the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building, offering opportunities to learn more about the LEED green building certification, the nationally accepted system for green buildings, developed by the USGBC as a tool to build healthy, energy efficient, resource-friendly structures. 

This year’s show will explore "Revolutionary Green: Innovations for Global Sustainability,” with Boston serving as the ideal backdrop. The city, home to innovations that have far-reaching impact, will be the location for a variety of educational sessions, full- and half-day LEED workshops, exciting speakers, special events and building tours. 

Each year at Greenbuild, one of the highlights is the assortment of master and keynote speakers, comprised of internationally renowned industry experts and influential leaders. This year, world-renowned leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu takes to the stage as the opening keynote speaker. A Nobel Peace Laureate, Bishop Tutu led a crusade for social justice and racial conciliation in South Africa as then-General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. Today, he is revered worldwide as a “moral voice” seeking to end poverty and human rights abuses. Tutu’s opening keynote address will take place Wednesday, Nov. 19, 8-10 a.m.

Closing Keynote Speakers include:
•    E.O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus and Honorary Curator of Entomology at the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University
•    Janine Benyus, Co-founder and Principal, Biomimicry Guild

Master Speakers:
•    Paul Anastas, Director, Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, Yale University
•    Stefan Behnisch, Principal, Behnisch, Behnisch & Partners
•    Carol Browner, Principal, The Albright Group, and former EPA Administrator
•    Majora Carter, Executive Director, Sustainable South Bronx
•    Howard Frumkin, Director, The National Center for Environmental Health, CDC
•    Van Jones, President and Founder, Green For All
•    Bill McKibben, Environmentalist and Author
•    Leith Sharp, Director, Harvard Green Campus Initiative (HGCI)

A variety of workshops and educational sessions will be offered throughout the show related to green building, and for the first time, this year’s selection of more than 100 educational sessions will also include programs that have been approved through the USGBC Education Provider Program.

Workshops

Green Building Basics and LEED
•    Provides background on USGBC, LEED and why green buildings are important to reducing carbon and making an impact on climate change.

REGREEN Residential Remodeling Guidelines
•    For residential remodeling professionals and homeowners interested in the new green remodeling guidelines developed through a partnership between USGBC & ASID.

Understanding LEED Project Costs and Returns
•    For all audiences interested in learning more about building environmentally sound projects at a reason¬able cost, building life-cycle and construction costs, and LEED project case studies.

Educational Sessions

A Policy Perspective - Green Legislation and Its Influence in the Public, Private, and Non-Profit Sectors

From Old Schools to Green Teaching Tools: Revolutionary Renovations

Bringing Green Homes to the Mass Market

LEEDing Internationally: Sustainability in the World Market

Designing Green Behaviors

Visit the Greenbuild Web site for an interactive and comprehensive listing of all on and off site educational sessions and master speakers: https://register.greenbuildexpo.org/scheduler/eventguide/publicScheduleByType.jsp

This year the Greenbuild exhibit hall will be held in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, which will house more than 1,300 booths featuring the newest and best products, technologies and services.

New to this year’s show is Green Homebuilder's Day, a day of programming and panels of industry experts dedicated to various residential green building topics. Green Homebuilder’s Day will take place on Thursday, Nov. 20 and will feature a variety of educational tracks and speakers, including Kevin O'Connor, host of "This Old House." For more information about this event, visit: http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/Program/green_homebuilders.html

Known as “America’s Walking City,” the Boston cityscape is dotted with vibrant neighborhoods, historical sites and LEED certified buildings. Currently, there are 19 LEED certified and 118 registered buildings in the city. Full and half-day tours of many of Boston’s most celebrated buildings, including many LEED certified projects, will take place throughout the event, and will be complimentary to press. http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/Events/GreenBuildingTours.html

Greenbuild is presented annually by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a nonprofit organization composed of more than 16,500 member organizations ranging from private companies to nonprofits, educational institutions and government agencies, all working to transform the building industry. Since its founding in 1993, USGBC has been at the forefront of green building, introducing the nationally used LEED green building certification system in 2000 and launching the Greenbuild Conference in 2002. Visit the Greenbuild Web site: www.greenbuildexpo.org. 

Registration

Greenbuild has undergone some changes in preparation for this year’s show. In order to make the Greenbuild experience as enjoyable and seamless as possible, we’ve undergone a transformation. Some of the changes you’ll find at this year’s show include:

•    Self-service kiosks for session and conference registration (located in the press room)
•    Ticketless entry to events – your name badge is all you need
•    More room! 50 percent more exhibit space (more than 300,000 square feet), additional educational session space and more registration counters 

To learn more about press registration at Greenbuild 2007, visit www.greenbuildexpo.org/Press