Greenbuild International Conference and Expo

Examining the intersection of humanity and the built environment, the event’s Human x Naturetheme was reflected in the poignant keynote addresses delivered by international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and the mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Carmen Cruz. 

With more than 200 educational sessions available, attendees had the opportunity to earn up to 15 GBCI CE hours and fulfill LEED, SITES, and WELL professional credential maintenance requirements. Widening the curriculum from year’s past, the sessions spanned across 16 educational tracks including Community and Social Equity, Smart & Sustainable Design, and Greening Residential, among others. 

Today, Informa Exhibitions and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that the event saw 15,373 attendees representing 91 countries from around the world, 350 exhibiting companies and 251 local volunteers.

As part of Greenbuild, Mayor Rahm Emanuel received the LEED Platinum City Certificate on behalf of the City of Chicago.

“What a pleasure it was to have Chicago, one the nation’s greenest cities serve as the backdrop for this historic event,” said Lindsay Roberts, Greenbuild group director at Informa Exhibitions. “We are so grateful to the Chicago community for embracing us, and to the thousands of attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and partners who brought such enthusiasm and passion to this year’s event. With so many connections and education happening, the built environment community is more equipped than ever to make sustainable buildings and environments accessible to everyone.”

The conference’s robust programming throughout the week featured the several key events, such as: 

• Opening Plenary, featuring international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney

• Greenbuild Celebration, held at the Field Museum headlined by blues legend and seven-time Grammy Award winner Buddy Guy

• Closing Plenary, featuring San Juan, Puerto Rico Mayor Carmen Cruz

• Communities & Affordable Homes Summit, exploring and defining what lies ahead at the nexus of sustainable development and social equity

• International Summit, a day-long summit exploring the important factors that are defining our world in both the near and long-term

• Women in Green Power Luncheon, tackling the concept of ‘Leading with Purpose’ featuring keynote speaker Jessica N. Grounds, Founder of Mine the Gap

• 2018 Leadership Awards Reception, recognizing outstanding individuals and organizations committed to advancing green building design, construction and operations

• Green Building Tours, more than 30 tours of sustainable buildings and neighborhoods located in and around the Chicago area

• Microgrid Unplugging Ceremony & Keynote Address, marking the official launch of the ‘Net Zero Zone’ and featured keynote speaker Anil Ahuja, author of Integration of Nature and Technology for Smart Cities

• Greenbuild Legacy Project, honoring Chicago-based science education organization, Project Exploration’s Science Giants, dedicated to making science accessible to youth from communities historically underrepresented in the sciences

“Green building is about creating a better life for everyone and providing equal access to safe, healthy and sustainable environments,” Kate Hurst, SVP of Conferences and Events, USGBC. “We celebrate this notion at Greenbuild every year as we grow the industry’s green building knowledge and shared expertise while scaling the breadth and reach of global market transformation for the built environment.”

The expo hall showcased the leading products and services available to professionals within the sustainable building industry and had several notable areas, including:

• Four interactive content-specific ‘Applied Learning Areas’ which featured extended Q&A from sessions in the education program, exhibitor-led lunch & learns and whitepaper discussions

• Journey Maps to guide attendees three-day experience through Greenbuild on topics including education sessions, distinctive products, solutions and technology, and experiential learning opportunities

• Seven sponsored Education Labs with CE accredited education on the show floor

• 223 exhibitors who scored a 70 or higher on the Greenbuild Mandatory Exhibitor Greening Guidelines Survey, including overall winners Monoxivent for Smallest Footprint and PlanIT for Most Innovative

• Mindful Materials Lounge where attendees connected directly with manufacturers regarding materials transparency

• 100-Mile Pavilion featuring companies located within a 100-mile radius of the conference

• Start-Up Alley portion of the conference showcasing young start-up companies in the sustainable building and product markets

• Braindates, an online platform connecting Greenbuild attendees and facilitating one-on-one or group conversations 

Video footage from the Opening Plenary, Closing Plenary, Master Series and Special Sets will be posted on the Greenbuild website in the coming weeks.

Greenbuild 2019 is scheduled for Nov. 20 through 22 in Atlanta.  More information can be found at greenbuildexpo.com. The Call for Proposals and Reviewers for Greenbuild 2019 is now open, and the deadline to submit a proposal is Jan. 4, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. EST.