Couldn’t make it to the 2019 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo at the Georgia World Congress Center, in Atlanta? You can still come away feeling like you were there by virtually stepping into The Home Depot’s booth. This interactive 360 video lets you experience a panoramic view of the expo. Click here.
The largest annual event for professionals worldwide to learn about solutions to improve sustainability and quality of life in our communities, Greenbuild featured 200+ education sessions, keynote speakers (including former President Barack Obama) and thousands of environmentally-friendly products.
Curious about the year’s biggest themes for building greener? We pulled together these top five takeaways:
- Collaboration
It’s a competitive world, but when we talk about making it more sustainable, collaboration is key. Across Greenbuild, people were talking about the ways partnerships are pivotal to advancing green initiatives in their companies and throughout the industry. One thing was clear, sustainability is never a solo mission.
- Transparency
Consumers are more educated than ever and have higher standards when it comes to understanding where their products are coming from, what’s in them, and under what conditions they were produced. One keyword that resurfaced throughout the expo hall was “transparency.” Companies are clamoring to demonstrate that they are proactive when it comes to taking sustainable measures.
- Education
Educated consumers need to speak with educated associates. There wasn’t an aisle on the floor that didn’t have a booth offering educational opportunities to staff, enabling them to speak with knowledge and authority on the sustainability issues that are important to their customers. When it comes to sustainability, it’s great to walk the walk, but you also need to talk the talk.
- Certifications
The golden stamp of approval is still top of mind across the industry when it comes to offering consumers an easy, visual, way to determine if a company is green. With representatives from Carbon Action Network, Forest Stewardship Council, and LEED, among others, certifications remained top of mind to demonstrate the commitment to sustainability.
- Circular Economy
Companies and organizations across the expo hall were looking for ways to close the loop when it comes to production. An alternative economic model, “circular economy,” aims to ensure products and packaging never becomes waste. The foundational principles of this idea are found in nature where nothing is discarded, and all things are regenerative.
Learn more about The Home Depot’s commitment to creating a circular economy, which was added in 2019 as a sustainability pillar. Want to attend Greenbuild next year? Follow their site for more details.
