The 2013 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, the world’s largest green building event, will be hosted in Philadelphia from November 20 to 22. Sponsored by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), last year’s conference in San Francisco attracted an estimated 30,000 attendees.
As a lead-up to the conference, the Delaware Valley Green Building Council (the local USGBC chapter) has issued the Greenbuild 2013 Challenge to showcase the region’s commitment to a healthy and sustainable future. The challenge calls on organizations to make pledges that are “related to sustainability, as specific as possible, as realistic (but as visionary!) as possible, and measurable in some way.”
The APAPA-SE Section is joining over 50 companies, institutions, public agencies, and other organizations across the region in making a Greenbuild 2013 pledge. This pledge will direct the section’s 2013 outreach and education efforts – PDI sessions, other section programs and events, and Southeast Blog articles – to increase awareness of sustainability, specifically how planners can work to improve “triple bottom line” (environmental, economic, and social) outcomes in the communities we serve.
Our pledge includes targets such as the number of people reached, students engaged, and events focused on sustainability. For example, PDI topics we are considering for 2013 include the new Philadelphia Zoning Code (highlighting aspects related to sustainable development), Philadelphia’s national leadership in green infrastructure, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission’s model energy ordinance. (More details on these and other sessions will be provided on the Southeast Blog as planning proceeds – stay tuned!) Our annual scholarship program will encourage students to explore sustainability-related themes. And we plan to broaden our regional networks by working with other professional organizations on aspects of the pledge.
The Southeast Section Council is very excited about our Greenbuild 2013 pledge. We encourage members to get involved – for example, by writing a blog article or suggesting an idea for an event. For more information, contact David Rouse at drouse@wrtdesign.com.
