The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Arizona State Conference, the flagship green building event in the state, is bringing together more than 100 industry leaders, experts and professionals dedicated to sustainable and efficient buildings, including LEED, on Oct. 30 at Tempe Center for the Arts.

Hosted by USGBC Arizona in its seventh year, the 2018 conference will feature educational programming, an engaging exhibit area, happy hour, networking, and keynote remarks from Todd Gamboa, president of Building Trust, LLC.

Building science expert Gamboa has educated thousands of builders, architects, contractors, product representatives, code officials, appraisers, and realtors across the country on the benefits of sustainable and sound building practices. He says that collaboration, transparency, and high standards are achieved through the use of third-party certification systems, such as LEED.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the most widely used green building certification in the world and works for all project types as well as cities and communities. More than 94,000 projects are participating in LEED and can be found in every state in the U.S. and in 167 countries and territories around the world. In Arizona alone, there are more than 600 LEED-certified commercial projects across the state, totaling more than 69 million square feet of space.

This years’ theme, Prove it: The Power of LEED Certification, will focus on the value of third-party certification with attendees learning how transparency, ongoing operations, and LEED certification ensures sustainability goals are achieved.

There are often questions from building owners on the LEED process and the cost of certification and materials. Gamboa helps to fill in those knowledge gaps while bringing understanding into the decision process, thereby creating more opportunities for the green building industry.

This year’s program includes such topics as the economic value of green certification, LEED for Homes, disposing of construction and demolition waste, and others that explore not only the economic, but also the social and environmental benefits of obtaining LEED certification.

The LEED program quickly established itself as a leader in the movement toward sustainable design and construction over the past 20 years and more than 2.2 million square feet of space certifies every day. USGBC shares the benchmarks comprising its certification process, which has led many developers to reconsider their approaches to building design and use of resources, and has helped make LEED the world’s most widely used green building rating system.

We hope you’ll be able to join us for this year’s Arizona State Conference to mingle with the dedicated green building professionals across Arizona, and explore the benefits of a sustainable and LEED-certified built environment. To register, visit usgbc.org/usgbc-arizona.