The U.S. Green Building Council(USGBC) (Washington), in concert with influential private and public partners, will premiere its First Annual International Green Building Conference and Expo, Nov. 13-15, 2002 in Austin, TX. An estimated 2,000 professionals from across the industry will gather for this unprecedented showcase of green building educational opportunities and technologies.

Launch of the new conference coincides with a surge of market interest in green buildings, and the council's own membership jumping to more than 1,000 companies, nonprofits, federal agencies, local governments, and universities. "Given this scale of interest," said chairman Steven Winter, "it only made sense for us to offer an international venue that brings together green building experts and the mainstream building community under one roof."

Mirroring the council's own diverse membership, attendees will include engineers, architects, specifiers, developers, building owners and facility managers, code officials, government agencies, manufacturers, contractors and home builders, financial service providers and researchers. Several leading organizations have already joined the council as partners for the event, including the Construction Specifications Institute, the AIA Committee on the Environment, the Urban Land Institute, and the U .S. Department of Energy.

For more information on the USGBC and LEED, visit www.usgbc.org. For information on the First Annual International Green Building Conference and Expo, email expo@usgbc.org, or call Lisa Grayson Zygmunt at 215-428-9655.