Page 74 - Green Builder Homeowner's Handbook 2016

FROM THE TAILGATE By Ron Jones

New Offerings for the Sustainable Minded

This January, Let’s Tackle Sustainability Together
HARDLY A WEEK PASSES when I don’t
receive one or more promotional
messages inviting me to sign up
for some industry event, or another
that promises groundbreaking
opportunities to join my peers and

“learn from the experts.”

Unfortunately, these folks are often the same

presenters we’ve been hearing from since the 1990s

and, sadly, they generally offer a repackaged form of

the same material they touted back then; things like:

ways to streamline your operations, tips for better

communications in your organization, strategies that

will make your products or services stand out, and—

my personal favorite—how to reach millennials

(yawn).

Green Builder® Media would like to suggest a

different kind of opportunity, one that is designed

to take a fresh look at the built environment from

the 30,000-foot perspective. On Monday, Jan. 9, in

Orlando, we will provide an important and unique

event during which we will interactively explore our

options for a more sustainable, resilient and intelligent

approach to the future of our industry and the roles

of shelter and development in general.

The Sustainability Symposium 2017: Ready for

Anything is not going to be another attempt to come

up with strategies for how to perpetuate the stale,

business-as-usual practices that have allowed the

design, development and construction sector to lag

behind as the rest of the world races headlong into

the unprecedented challenges of the 21st century. Rather, we will resources and outdated technologies.

eagerly confront the issues facing our communities and engage Accordingly, we have assembled a lineup of public officials,

in honest, meaningful discussions around climate and extreme business leaders, sustainability advocates and big thinkers who will

weather, deteriorating and vulnerable infrastructures, complex help open the door to the next generation of responsible living.

environmental and social responsibilities, and the resiliency our This will not be an event that simply puts together another group of

buildings and cities so desperately need. talking heads so they can deliver one-way messaging to a room full of

We are excited to shake things up with dynamic ideas and real-life butts in seats. We want to aggregate a diverse group of independent-

experiences from forward-thinking policy makers and innovative minded individuals who truly want to participate in the discussions

professionals who are on the cutting edge of transforming the way and help create a pathway to a more sustainable future.

we live, work and play. Mark your calendar, and make plans to join us on Jan. 9 for what

Our goal is to contrast the existing “race to the bottom” model we believe will be an important and rewarding experience. Space is

of doing business with a new platform based on playing the long limited so go to http://www.greenbuildermedia.com/ready-for-

game, not one predicated on short-term gains that depend on finite anything-2017 for details and registration. GB

72 GREEN BUILDER The Homeowner’s Handbook 2016 www.greenbuildermedia.com