Greenbuild NEXT Opens in Toronto: First Time Outside of the US

Greenbuild NEXT is the first time the US Green Building Council is hosting Greenbuild outside the United States. Greenbuild 2011 is located in Toronto and is taking place between October 4th and 7th. The event celebrates what’s new and innovative in green building.

At the opening Plenary on October 5, The event’s keynote speakers included, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts, former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell, medical anthropologist and physician Dr. Paul Farmer,

Friedman, a Pulitzer Prize-winner and internationally renowned author, reporter, and columnist, will provide the keynote, then lent his expertise to USGBC’s Resiliency Agenda panel.

In his 2008 bestselling book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America, Friedman explored the parallels between the climate crisis and the global economic crisis, proposing a national strategy, coined “Geo-Greenism,” to make America healthier, richer, more innovative, more productive, and more secure. “I find this set of issues—how we take the lead in the clean-tech revolution and use that to refresh, renew, and revive America—is what animates me most,” Friedman has said.

Joining Friedman on the panel was medical anthropologist and physician Dr. Paul Farmer. As Chair of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Founder of Partners in Health, Dr. Farmer has written extensively on health, human rights, and the consequences of social inequality. His new book, Haiti: After the Earthquake, makes a thoughtful assessment on what works — and what doesn’t — in helping communities recover from disaster.

The panel was moderated by Roberts, an Emmy Award-winning journalist, bestselling author and a native of New Orleans, will discuss resiliency and demonstrate how all industries can play a role in community rebuilding efforts in Haiti , New Orleans and around the globe. Roberts serves dually as Senior News Analyst for National Public Radio and Political Analyst for ABC News. An inductee into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, Roberts has won countless awards, and was cited as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting.

To complete the panel, former Prime Minister of Canada Kim Campbell addressed what she has called “the trifecta of disadvantage” where countries most at-risk from global warming are also among the world’s poorest economies and weakest states. In the past, Ms. Campbell has addressed not only the impact of the physical changes of global warming on human societies but also the security risks that can be posed by this global threat as well.

© 2011, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.