• July 17-19, 2007
• LaGrange, Georgia, USA

• Agenda (PDF)
• Photos
• Presentations
• Final Report

On July 17-19, 2007 the City of LaGrange, LaGrange College, CIFAL Atlanta, and UNITAR hosted Cities for Sustainable Growth:  Green Buildings for Equitable Communities.  This forum brought together local government representatives from nineteen government agencies to explore best practices in implementing policies to promote green building practices.

This forum was supported by the American Institute of Architects, Southface, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Program, U.S. Green Buildings Council, and the Urban Land Institute, whose staff contributed time and expertise to help shape this program.  The office of the British Consulate General provided transportation to select participants and, along with the Canadian Consulate General, financially supported the program. 

Representatives from CONAVI (National Council on Housing), P2AD (Pollution Prevention Assistance Division), Perry Dean Rogers Architecture firm, and Pond & Company participated in the workshop as speakers and experts.

The workshop addressed such topics as an overview on green building issues & terminology, policies and incentives for public and private sector, and best practices for building consensus and stakeholder participation.  Sessions such as “International Approach to Sustainability” and “Cities for Sustainable Growth” highlighted best practices and case studies from the local governments represented in the workshop. 

Callaway Gardens, InterfaceFLOR, and David Oakey Designs hosted tours and dinners at their respective locations. These tours provided delegates with beautiful real-life examples of commercial and residential green buildings.

The diverse delegate list included senior-level planners, green building advisors, and environmental affairs directors.  The following government entities sent one or more representatives to the workshop: Asheville, NC; Athens-Clarke County, GA; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Chapel Hill, NC; Charleston, SC; Chicago, IL; Congress of the Philippines; Decatur, GA; Delray Beach, FL; Durham, NC; Fort Benning, GA; Fort McPherson, GA; Houston, TX; LaGrange, GA; Mexico City, Mexico; Normal, IL; North Miami, FL; Sumter, SC; and Troop County; GA.