PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 28, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Earth Advantage Institute, a nonprofit green building research and resource organization, will bring in a range of regional thought leaders in design, construction, technology and government for its annual Green Day Forum, the premier Northwest conference on sustainable building trends.
The conference takes place November 4 at the Gerding Theater at the Armory, and has sold out two years in a row.
This year, individual presenters and panels will take a critical look at how we measure progress and measure the impact of sustainable building. With participation from attendees, speakers will also explore innovative strategies that seek to bridge industry gaps and scale up efforts to mitigate climate change.
The forum will be keynoted by internationally renowned architect and visionary Edward Mazria, founder of Architecture 2030, an organization dedicated to addressing climate change by changing the way buildings and developments are planned, designed and constructed. His 2030 Challenge asks the global architecture and building community to adopt aggressive targets to obtain carbon neutral buildings. Mazria's keynote, "America on the Brink," will outline how three simultaneous crises are threatening the U.S. but creating unprecedented opportunities for the building and design industry.
Topics and speakers range from changing occupant energy behavior to how to best engage homeowners in retrofit efforts. Sessions on technology trends include the future of energy modeling and the effectiveness of home energy displays. Topics include the following:
Steven Straus, president of Glumac and board member of the Portland Development Commission, will join Kendall Youngblood of Energy Trust of Oregon to discuss the maturing of energy modeling practices, trends and anticipated policy issues that will affect modeling (Energy Modeling: The Next Generation).
Derek Smith of Clean Energy Works Oregon will discuss the successes and surprises from the Clean Energy Works Portland program and strategies for scaling up efforts across all of Oregon with the goal of improving the environment, saving homeowners money, and creating green jobs (Clean Energy Works Oregon: Getting Homeowners Off the Fence).
Dr. Loren Lutzenhiser of the Portland State University Urban Studies and Planning department will apply a social and behavioral lens to help explain phenomena such as why people won't commit to energy retrofits and to unpack the hype around energy monitors (Influencing Occupant Behavior: Why A La Carte Energy Management Doesn't Work).
Angus Duncan, founder and president of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation will join Eden Brukman, vice president of the International Living Building Institute to explore some of the urgent issues that we have failed to confront so far. [The Elephants in the Room: What We Can't Afford to Ignore (Anymore)]
Architect Nathan Goode and Naomi Cole of the Portland Sustainability Institute's Ecodistrict Initiative will look at how well buildings are actually performing as the industry adopts increasingly higher performance standards. They will discuss the reality of implementing advanced models such as net-zero energy design, Passive House design, and eco-districts (Advanced Sustainability Models: Are They Living Up to the Hype?).
The conference is organized by Earth Advantage Institute with support from sponsors including Energy Trust of Oregon, Avista Utilities, Portland General Electric, and the Hasson Company Realtors. The Portland Business Journal and Sustainable Business Oregon are the media sponsors.
Green Day Forum
Earth Advantage Institute's Green Day Forum is an annual event that brings together professionals from the green building industry with regional leaders and experts in design, technology and government to discuss the latest trends and policies in sustainable building. This full-day event addresses a different theme each year, offering a diverse range of panels, speakers and viewpoints, as well as a keynote, luncheon, and late afternoon networking reception. The event takes place at the Gerding Theater in Northwest Portland. The conference has sold out two years in a row.
Tom Breunig
Director of Marketing
Earth Advantage Institute
(503) 968-7160
tbreunig@earthadvantage.org
About Earth Advantage
Earth Advantage Institute is a nonprofit organization that works with the building industry to help implement sustainable building practices. Its mission is to create an immediate, practical and cost-effective path to sustainability and reduction of carbon in the built environment. The organization achieves its objectives through an innovative range of programs for industry professionals, including certification of high performance homes, remodels, sustainable communities and commercial spaces. These programs are supported by a top-rated education department, offering basic and advanced classes on building, marketing, and valuing green homes; and by a technical services team that provides a variety of onsite tests and energy audits. Earth Advantage Institute's Carbon Advantage program offers consulting on carbon reduction strategies within the built environment. More information is available at its website.
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