ATLANTA, GA — After announcing the city achieved LEED Silver certification, Atlanta once again hosted the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, presented by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), at the LEED Gold Georgia World Congress Center. The world’s largest event dedicated to green building featured four days of networking, educational sessions and green building tours, as well as daily keynote addresses delivered by visionary leaders including Jeanne Gang, Architect; Bernice King, civil rights and peace advocate; Jamie Margolin, teen climate change activist; and Marshall Shepherd, an international expert in weather and climate among other speakers.

Known for showcasing the latest trends and technologies shaping the development of green buildings, cities and communities, the international event brought professionals in architecture, construction, engineering, planning and interior design to downtown Atlanta.

In the Expo Hall, attendees were joined by 300 exhibitors from across the green building sector who showcased products and technology for the sustainable building industry. Focused on the latest topics and trends, exhibitors specialized in building performance, human health and wellness, smart energy and more. There was also the Mindful Materials Pavilion, an area dedicated to deepening the conversation around materials transparency and product certifications. With a microgrid powering a portion of the show floor using solar panels and a tiny sustainable home on display, the Expo Hall was a destination for activities and discussions, as well as additional education sessions.

“As a rising star in the green building revolution, Atlanta is the perfect backdrop for this year’s Greenbuild Conference, and we are proud to showcase the amazing strides the local community has made to better the quality of life for its residents,” said Sherida Sessa, Greenbuild Brand Director. “Greenbuild attendees will not only be able to discuss the impact of connecting people, community and built spaces in creating a truly sustainable future, but they can experience a tangible representation of this vision firsthand by simply stepping outside the Expo Hall and seeing some of the city’s model green buildings.”

To honor both the state and the city’s commitment to sustainability, local Georgia dignitaries were in attendance, including Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms who gave opening remarks at the Wednesday keynote, and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, who delivered the Expo Hall grand opening on Wednesday.

Greenbuild also featured dozens of other events, workshops and summits over the four days. These include a speaker spotlight event with Jasmine Crowe, the Atlanta-based founder of Goodr, as well as a Resilience Summit, Global Health & Wellness Summit, Women in Green Power Luncheon, Leadership Awards Ceremony, a Corporate Sustainability Forum and the Greenbuild Celebration event featuring Collective Soul at the LEED Platinum Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

In addition, attendees could view Atlanta’s most sustainable sights first-hand through several guided tours including one that gave them a look at green sports in Atlanta through exclusive tours of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the first pro-sports stadium in the U.S. to achieve LEED Platinum Certification, as well as SunTrust Park, the home of the Atlanta Braves and the Atlanta Hawks’ State Farm Arena.

The conference was also dedicated to leaving an impact on its host city and featured several initiatives aimed at improving the lives of local Atlantans, such as a scholarship program and the Greenbuild 2019 Legacy Project, a $12,500 grant awarded to Hagar Civilization Missionary, Inc., the nonprofit affordable housing developer and property owner of the English Avenue project located in Atlanta’s Westside English Avenue.

“The Greenbuild experience is an opportunity to bring leaders together to share and explore new ways sustainable design, construction and operations can improve our quality of life,” said Kim Heavner, Vice President of Conferences and Events at USGBC. “At this year’s conference, attendees, exhibitors and speakers … play an important role in shaping the future of green buildings, cities and communities.”

Additionally, as part of Greenbuild’s commitment to sustainability, the conference was powered 100 percent by renewable energy and aims to achieve a waste diversion rate of more than 85 percent. To offset attendee’s personal carbon footprints while at the conference, attendees were asked to contribute funds to the Kariba REDD+ Project, an initiative dedicated to the protection of close to 785,000 hectares of Zimbabwe land from deforestation and land degradation. This act of land preservation has resulted in the prevention of more than 18 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions from being released into the atmosphere.

The conference was previously hosted in Atlanta in 2005.