Initiative Announced to Highlight Upcoming Themes At Rio+20 Conference

Using World Green Building Week 2011 as a platform, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the United Nations Environment Program's Regional Office for North America (UNEP RONA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) announced a new initiative to highlight the important role of buildings and cities in the green economy.

Scheduled to launch in Toronto at the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo taking place Oct. 4 to 6, the "Road to Rio+2" initiative will engage private sector leaders, civil society and local government officials in highlighting examples of the green economy in action, with a focus on energy efficiency in buildings and sustainable cities. Events will take place in locations across North America throughout the coming year.

The initiative raises awareness of the upcoming 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, an event widely known as "Rio+20" to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 U.N. Earth Summit. The Road to Rio+20 effort will discuss sector-based challenges and solutions related to buildings and cities in the broader context of shifting to a green economy.

"Rio+20 offers a unique opportunity to jumpstart progress toward green economies, not only at the global, regional and national levels, but at the city level as well," said Amy Fraenkel, director and regional representative of UNEP. "With more than half of the world's population now living in urban areas, UNEP's Regional Office for North America is excited to be working with the USGBC and the WBCSD to build momentum towards effective outcomes on sustainable cities and green buildings at this historic conference."

More information about Road to Rio+20 events is available at www.globealliance.org.

Source: U.S. Green Building Council