Greenbuild Conference & Expo Closes with Inspiring Words for the Future of Green Building

23,000 delegates, sold out show floor demonstrate strength of green building movement

(TORONTO) Oct. 11, 2011 - The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual Greenbuild International Conference & Expo concluded last Friday with a closing plenary session featuring Canadian Minister Lisa Raitt, Minister of Labour; First polar explorer to lead a team to both North and South poles, Robert Swan; Principal at John Picard & Associates and natural systems expert, John Picard; Australian artist/technologist and Director of NYU's xdesign Environmental Health Clinic, Natalie Jeremijenko, and other international thought leaders. Mayor Michael Bloomberg's New York City office was presented with the 2011 Leadership Award, commemorating the Mayor's extensive sustainability efforts throughout the city.

"So glad USGBC has brought together such an impressive group," Mayor Bloomberg said in his video presentation during the closing plenary. "You will reshape the world."

This year's Greenbuild conference featured four days of networking, educational sessions, green building tours, master speakers and plenary events. The 140,208 gross square meters of the North and South building expo floors of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre were fully sold out and comprised of 1,700 booths, 20 percent of which were Canadian companies.

This year, 233 exhibitors received USGBC's Green Exhibitor Award, which is a voluntary program that encourages sustainable practices on the expo floor above and beyond those required by the Greenbuild Mandatory Exhibition Green Guidelines (GMEGG), the greening requirements which all Greenbuild exhibitors must met or exceed. The Award recognizes the best of sustainable booth construction and tradeshow practices.

USGBC strives to leave a legacy of improved environmental practices in each of Greenbuild's host cities by working with the convention center, all vendors, and the local host committee to reduce the environmental impact of all Greenbuild programs. The Greenbuild model is helping to transform the global meetings industry earning the conference and expo the prestigious IMEX Green Meetings Award three years in a row.

"We had a fantastic show in Toronto this year," said Kimberly Lewis, Vice President, Conferences and Events, USGBC. "We celebrated 10 years of the conference by taking a look at 'What's Next' for green building and the future of our cities and nations. Now we look forward to next year in San Francisco, home to technological innovation and new ideas."

The theme of "automation" was woven through this year's educational sessions and programming, foreshadowing what's in store for Greenbuild 2012. LEED Automation emerged as a critical theme for the future of the LEED green building process, and since 2010, USGBC has been working with multiple LEED Automation partners-companies that are streamlining and changing the way LEED projects are documented and certified.
"LEED Automation and the idea of automation itself is a critical piece in not only 'What's Next' for green building but also 'What's Next' for LEED," said Scot Horst, SVP, LEED, USGBC. "Next year, as we look to launch LEED 2012, the update to the LEED program, we're working with our stakeholders to get it right."

[an error occurred while processing this directive]LEED 2012 just completed its second public comment period and is anticipated to launch at Greenbuild 2012, taking place Nov. 13-16, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. Visit greenbuildexpo.org and follow @greenbuild on Twitter.

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
The U.S. Green Building Council is committed to a prosperous and sustainable future for our nation through cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings. With a community comprising 79 local affiliates, nearly 16,000 member organizations, and more than 167,000 LEED Professional Credential holders, USGBC is the driving force of an industry that is projected to contribute $554 billion to the U.S. GDP from 2009-2013. USGBC leads an unlikely diverse constituency of builders and environmentalists, corporations and nonprofit organizations, elected officials and concerned citizens, and teachers and students. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org, on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

About Greenbuild
The U.S. Green Building Council's Greenbuild International Conference & Expo convenes the industry's largest gathering of representatives from all sectors of the green building movement. Three days of extensive educational programming, workshops, a vast exhibition floor and ample networking events provide unrivaled opportunities to learn about the latest technological innovations, explore new products, and exchange ideas with other professionals. Greenbuild is the three time recipient of IMEX Green Meetings Award and its 2012 show will be held Nov. 13-16, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. This past year's conference in Toronto drew 23,000 attendees and featured a sold out exhibit floor featuring more than 1,700 exhibit booths. Visit greenbuildexpo.org and follow @greenbuild for more information.

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