Greenbuild 2009 – What’s in store for the Arizona development community?
The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will envelop the Phoenix Convention Center during the second week of November. At this conference, the Valley will host more than 25,000 attendees from 91 countries. In only its seventh year, Greenbuild has become the world’s largest green building conference and expo. Event delegates are expected to have a $30 million direct-spending impact on the local economy.
Greenbuild attendees will participate in more than 100 educational sessions and will tour 80 sustainable, LEED buildings throughout Arizona. They will also have access to more than 1,000 booths showcasing some of the best in sustainable products, materials and technologies available.
Mark Wilhelm, principal of Green Ideas, will chair the Greenbuild 2009 Host Committee, along with vice chair Sandy Werthman and executive director Beth Vershure, for the Arizona Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.
Making Green Ubiquitous
The biggest challenge is to leverage this 3-day event to help anchor sustainability throughout Arizona. To accomplish this, the committee will reach out to industry, political and financial leaders with compelling messages about the importance of sustainable development; showcase green building best practices to achieve quick payback and positive ROI; and help define road maps that lead to more sustainable design, construction and operations.
The Host Committee has partnered with local leaders to focus on “Community Conversations” that will happen before, during and after Greenbuild. These events will host experts and audiences to address the following:
- Greening municipalities
- Sustainable manufacturing
- Leveraging solar resources
- Conservation of water and energy resources
Some sustainable-minded organizations have stepped forward to support the Greenbuild Host Committee efforts, furthering the message of sustainability in Arizona.
- APS, SRP, Intel, PetSmart, General Dynamics, Arizona State University, Adolfson & Peterson Construction, Sundt Construction, the Arizona Cement Association, GeOasis and Ramsey Community Services Foundation have committed funds to help leverage Greenbuild for the benefit of Arizona.
- The cities of Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale and Flagstaff are taking green building to the streets by extending the reach of Greenbuild beyond the Convention Center. Each city will host a “Green Streets” party one night during Greenbuild week.
- The University of Phoenix, the Pulliam Trust and Habitat for Humanity have funded specific Greenbuild Legacy Projects that will showcase sustainable development long after Greenbuild 2009 has left Arizona.
There also will be several noteworthy events that will run concurrently with Greenbuild:
- The World Green Building Council International Congress will be held Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Phoenix Convention Center. International experts in sustainable development will showcase projects from both developed and developing countries.
- Former Vice President Al Gore will address thousands of Greenbuild attendees at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, as part of the Greenbuild Opening Keynote and Celebration on Wednesday, Nov. 11. He will be followed by Sheryl Crow in concert.
- Greenbuild 2009 Residential Summit will be held on Nov. 12 and 13 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. This summit will feature an opening general session with KB Home CEO Jeff Mezger, Bensonwood Homes company steward Tedd Benson and “Renovation Nation” host Steve Thomas.
For more information, visit www.greenbuildexpo.org, while there be sure to click on “Program by Market Sector” and “Commercial Sector” to see the specific educational sessions designed to appeal to corporations, building operators and developers.
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