Greenbuild Expo Rebuilds Sustainable Homes in New Orleans

Over the years, the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo has focused on commercial structures, according to Marketing Manager, Anna Lehman. “But now there’s more of a demand for residential building, so we’re trying to get more of that into the conference,” she says.

The U.S. Green Building Council focuses not just on green building, but also on rebuilding ”“ they’ve rebuilt hundreds of resource-efficient homes and schools in the New Orleans area through their LEED certification program. And with the focus of this year’s conference on sustainable homes, the conference’s location couldn’t be better.

“It’s very special that Greenbuild is being held in New Orleans this year,” council media specialist Jacob Kriss told Modern Farmer. “It’s an opportunity to celebrate the city’s extraordinary rebirth from the terrible events of Hurricane Katrina, and also to examine how to build up our cities to be more resilient in the face of catastrophic weather events caused by global warming.”

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[mf_mosaic_item src=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/greenbuild1.jpg” number=”1″ caption=”Ron Finley, L.A. gardener and fashion designer for athletes, speaks at one of Greenbuild’s Master Series sessions. / Courtesy Greenbuild Expo.”]
[mf_mosaic_item src=”https://modernfarmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/greenbuild2.jpg” number=”2″ caption=”A speaker presents in one of the conference’s Education Labs located on the expo floor. / Courtesy Greenbuild Expo.”]
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Greenbuild has partnered with LivingHomes to quickly build quite a few net-zero homes in the New Orleans area, one of which will be featured on the conference’s show floor at this year, in its entirety. After the show ends, this particular home will be donated to the sustainable building organization, Make It Right, founded by Brad Pitt in 2007.

The conference is moving towards becoming a zero-waste event, says Lehman. This year, for the first time ever, the expo will feature three Net Zero Zones (an outdoor display, a networking lounge and a pavilion) where everything in these particular regions is powered by the wind, the sun and other renewable resources.

This year’s event, taking place October 22-24, will feature several notable speakers including U.S. Surgeon General Boris Lushniak and leader in sustainable building, William McDonough. Other folks such as NY Times columnist David Brooks, environmentalist writer Paul Hawken and Maryland Governor, Martin O’Malley will also be present.

For more information about the event, visit greenbuildexpo.com.