World's Largest Green Building Conference & Expo Headed to Toronto Next Week

TORONTO, Sept. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) annual conference and expo is making its way to Toronto next week to celebrate "what's next" in green building. Greenbuild is the world's largest green building conference and expo and is expected to make an economic impact of $26 million CAD, bringing 25,000 delegates from over 115 countries to the event. A release from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre earlier this week also stated that Greenbuild will generate a positive impact on the local economy of over $58 million from delegate spending.

Toronto was selected by USGBC as the host city for the conference for several reasons, including its growth in the green building movement with nearly 300 building projects registered and seeking LEED certification and 44 green building projects already LEED-certified in the Toronto area.

"Toronto and the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) have been a tremendous force in the recent growth of the green building movement in Canada," said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair, USGBC. "Toronto's building market has continued to boom and prosper and it's the perfect backdrop for the 10th anniversary of Greenbuild."

Held in conjunction with the Canada Green Building Council, Greenbuild promises to inspire and educate with hundreds of educational sessions; dozens of master speakers; one and two day summits focused on green jobs, residential and affordable green building, and the international green building marketplace; more than 1,000 companies showcasing the most innovative green building products and services in the world's largest expo hall dedicated to green building; and top-notch plenary speakers that include New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell, ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts, medical anthropologist and physician Dr. Paul Farmer and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The opening plenary event will also feature Grammy award-winning band, Maroon 5.

"It's appropriate that the first Greenbuild outside of the United States is being held in Canada because it demonstrates the huge impact LEED, and the close partnership between the USGBC and CaGBC, have had on green building in Canada," said Thomas Mueller, President and CEO, CaGBC. "There is no doubt that Greenbuild will be a game changer for Toronto and for Canada by taking green building to the next level in terms of industry and government recognition and international trade."

About 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 168,000 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, 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 the 2011 show will be held on Oct. 4-7, 2011, in Toronto, Canada. This past year's conference in Chicago, Ill. drew more than 28,000 attendees and featured more than 1,800 exhibit booths. Visit www.greenbuildexpo.org for more information.

Contact: Ashley Katz
Media Manager, USGBC
202.742.3738
akatz@usgbc.org

SOURCE U.S. Green Building Council