City Of Houston Joins Gulf Coast Green For First Regional Sustainable Energy And Green Building Consumer Expo

Houston, TX., Nov. 14, 2007 — Gulf Coast Green and the City of Houston are proud to inaugurate the first Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo exclusively featuring certified green products and building materials, renewable energy, energy efficiency tips, and green vehicles. It will be free and open to the public on April 5 and 6, 2008, at Reliant Park. Gulf Coast Green is the leading green building conference on the Texas Gulf Coast.

An estimated 15,000 consumers from Houston and the Gulf Coast Region are expected to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about green, energy efficient products and services in a hands-on atmosphere free of green misinformation. An innovative set of Green Guidelines will govern the types of products and services exhibited at the event.

With rising energy costs and global climate concerns, we have the opportunity to make a real difference, both financially and environmentally, for ourselves, our families, and our city. The City of Houston has taken aggressive steps towards a greener, more energy efficient region including the purchase of 30MW to date of renewable energy, partnering with the Clinton Climate Initiative to retrofit city facilities, and replacing traffic lights with energy efficient LEDs.

“We want to make Houston not only the energy capital of the world but also the energy conservation capital,” said Mayor Bill White. “This event gives each of us the opportunity to make a difference.”

The Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo will anchor several civic expressions of the importance of sustainable growth. Declared Gulf Coast Green week by the City of Houston, the 2008 Gulf Coast Green Symposium will kick off the festivities with two days of lectures targeted to design and construction professionals, green building tours, and a student competition on Thursday, April 3 and Friday, April 4 at Reliant Park. Mayor Bill White, Pulitzer Prize author Jared Diamond, internationally renowned architect Dr. Ken Yeang, and Clinton Climate Initiative chair Ira Magaziner will deliver keynote addresses at the event. On Saturday, April 5, Mayor Bill White will launch the Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo with a plenary session, promoting opportunities for energy efficiency and renewable energy already available in the Gulf Coast region.

The expo will feature four topic areas showcasing product booths, government and non-profit initiatives, and educational presentations running throughout the two-day event. The Expo’s focus areas – renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, and alternative transportation – address strategies and technologies critical to Houston’s and the gulf coast region’s future.

A youth event will offer a glimpse of Houston’s future as a sustainable community. Students from across the metropolitan region will exhibit their vision of Houston in 2030.

Gulf Coast Green is organized by the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment. The City of Houston Sustainable Energy initiative is a project of the Mayor’s Office.

For more information about Gulf Coast Green and the Sustainable Energy and Green Building Consumer Expo, please visit www.gulfcoastgreen.org.