WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Green Building Council hosts the world’s largest green building conference and expo, Greenbuild, in Phoenix, Ariz., Nov 11-13, 2009. The idea of Greenbuild is to connect the green building community to the education, innovative ideas, resources and opportunities needed to help grow their career and the industry at large.
Attendees will join the more than 20,000 pre-registered representatives from all sectors of the green building movement for three days of educational programming, workshops, an exhibition floor with over 1,800 booths, a green jobs fair, ample networking events providing opportunities to learn about the latest technological innovations, and opportunities to explore new products and exchange ideas with other professionals.
“This year’s Greenbuild will offer more opportunities than ever for attendees to connect to the conversation, whether it is through interactive sessions and events, the vast expo floor or through social networking platforms,” said Kimberly Lewis, Vice President of Conferences and Events, USGBC.
A host of new and returning sessions and events provide opportunities for attendees to connect. The Executive Roundtable brings together some of the leading corporate, finance, higher education and non-profit CEOs to talk about what corporate sustainability means to them, how they make their green decisions and what role employees can play in that process. Web audience viewers and attendees will be able to interact with the CEOs in the hot seat by forwarding questions through Twitter.
New to the show this year are Greenbuild Salons, sessions centered on the intersection of art, technology and sustainability, taking place Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2:00-5:00 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 12, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Each salon will be designed as an intimate, interactive conversation with speakers from the art, technology and sustainability realms.
The second annual Residential Summit caters to the residentially focused sector of the building market and will provide an opportunity for professionals to network and share best practices and ideas during two days of informational sessions and educational tracks. This year’s Summit will feature an opening general session on greening our new housing stock, featuring KB Home CEO Jeff Mezger, Bensonwood Homes company steward Tedd Benson, UDR, Inc. President & CEO Thomas Toomey, and “Renovation Nation” host Steve Thomas.
With green jobs on many people’s minds this year, Greenbuild is opening doors for green building professionals, connecting like-minded companies and job-seekers at the first annual Green Building Jobs Fair on Tuesday, Nov. 10, 1-5 p.m. Additionally, a jobs Resource Center will be open Wednesday through Friday and will offer networking opportunities, professional development workshops, informational interviews and resume posting.
Greenbuild will offer ample opportunities to connect to the online conversation with up-to-date information delivered through multiple social media platforms, including Twitter , Facebook and the new Greenbuild blog (http://www.greenbuildexpo.org/News/blog.aspx) . Attendees and exhibitors can sync up this year with Greenbuild Connect (https://register.greenbuildexpo.org/eventlink/start.ww), an online forum that allows users to communicate with others who have similar interests, sharing tips and ideas about educational sessions they are attending and what exhibitors are of interest and to schedule onsite meetings to further extend the event networking experience.
The Opening Keynote & Celebration will kick off Greenbuild and will feature a keynote by former Vice President and noted environmental advocate, Al Gore, a musical performance by nine-time Grammy winner Sheryl Crow and an address from USGBC President, CEO & Founding Chair, Rick Fedrizzi. The Opening Keynote & Celebration will take place Nov. 11 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Key Obama environmental adviser Carol M. Browner will deliver the keynote speech at the closing plenary on Nov. 13.
In addition to an impressive collection of master speakers, Greenbuild 2009 will also feature more than 100 educational sessions, LEED and Education Provider workshops, off-site educational sessions, a two-day Residential Summit, and tours of local green building sites throughout the Arizona area. More than 1,800 exhibitors will showcase some of the leading technologies and products in green design, construction and operations.
For more information, visit www.greenbuildexpo.org and www.usgbc.org. To see presentations made at last year’s Greenbuild, visit www.greenbuild365.org.