On April 19, the 17th annual Municipal Green Building Conference and Expo (MGBCE) returns as the longest-running and largest gathering of leading sustainability and green building advocates within both the public and private sectors in Southern California, drawing attendees from 88 Southern California-area municipalities. With the attendees striving to integrate sustainability into municipal action, MGBCE—hosted annually by Southern California Gas Company’s (SoCalGas) and the U.S. Green Building Council-LA chapter (USGBC-LA)—is offering 27 panels and three keynotes that aim to share usable ideas and processes across the green building sector that touch upon community projects, and residential and commercial properties.  The no-cost event runs from 8:00am to 6:00pm at the SoCalGas Energy Resource Center.

“This year’s theme is ‘Innovative Cities Leading the Way to a Sustainable Future.’ But innovation can only take place when fresh ideas and practices can be discussed with those who will be implementing them in their cities,” said USGBC-LA Executive Director Dominique Hargreaves. “This year’s panels do just that, through some of today’s touchpoints as ZNE, distributed energy, waste, transportation, and health and wellness.  We also address developing the vital next generation of thought-leaders!”

Session highlights include: “Building A Sustainable LA: An Open Forum”; “Empowering a Sustainable Legacy in LA”; “Balancing Social Equity and Sustainability Objectives in Design and Planning”; “Increasing Building Resiliency in the Era of Climate Change”; and “How to Achieve Zero Waste and Contribute toward the LA Zero Waste Goal?”

The event will also introduce a new Sustainable Cities Tech Challenge for start-up companies to innovate future usable products or ideas for municipalities. Organized by USGBC-LA and the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI), the awards are divided into three categories of Smart Infrastructure, Energy and Water Efficiency, and Waste. Finalists will receive the chance to win $15,000 as the overall Challenge winner, as well as the opportunity for membership to LACI’s business incubation program, access to the La Kretz Innovation Campus, and Advanced Prototyping Center. 

Visit www.usgbc-la.org