January 14, 2008—The US Green Building Council said that Archbishop Desmond Tutu will be the opening keynote speaker for USGBC’s annual Greenbuild Conference & Expo November 17-19 in Boston.
Bishop Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate, lead a crusade for social justice and racial conciliation in South Africa as then-General Secretary of the South African Council of Churches. Today, he is revered worldwide as a moral voice seeking to end poverty and human rights abuses.
“Bishop Tutus life, work, and message demonstrate the power of transformational change,” commented Rick Fedrizzi, CEO of USGBC. “Bishop Tutu’s role in ending Apartheid in South Africa and bringing reconciliation to its people will inspire us towards the transformation of our buildings to a sustainable future, and will give us an extraordinary example of social justice in action.”
Greenbuild’s 2008 programmatic theme is “Revolutionary Green: Innovations for Global Sustainability.” Additional speakers will be announced later this year. For more information, see the USGBC Web site.
