USGBC's Austin Conference a Great Success

Likely to be remembered as a watershed in the sustainable building movement, the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) first annual International Conference & Exposition, held in Austin, Texas in November 2002, was a resounding success. while the Council hoped for about 2000 attendees, the final tally, including exhibitors, was 4189 registrants.The conference was preceded by a “member day” in which about 500 Council members learned about new initiatives and met in committees to work on LEED and other programs.The two-and-a-half day conference featured 80 breakout sessions. Two concurrent conferences added to the excitement: UPEx’02 (Photovoltaic Experience Conference) and Texas Renewables ’02. The sold-out expo – 220 booths and tabletop displays – included product manufacturers, industry trade groups, design and engineering firms, building contractors, commissioning agents, environmental organizations and government agencies. Despite the expo’s short duration, exhibitors were ecstatic at the level of interest in their products. A remarkable 92% renewed for the 2003 conference!DuPont Textiles & Interiors (DTI), manufacturer of Antron carpet fibers, donated the conference greenhouse gas emission credits to the Leonardo Academy’s Cleaner and Greener program on behalf of the USGBC. The credits, earned through the voluntary installation of emission abatement equipment at DTI’s Sabine River Works facility […]

Read More