2.06.2006 ET

(CSRwire) Greenfield, MA - Bob Berkebile, FAIA will deliver the keynote presentation with opening remarks by Thomas M. Menino, Mayor of Boston, at Building Energy '06, the Northeast's premier conference and trade show for clean energy and green building professionals. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's (NESEA) 31st annual conference will be held at Boston's Seaport World Trade Center, March 7 - 9, 2006.

Building Energy '06 is expected to draw 2,000 professionals in for three days of workshops, sessions, forums, networking, and a trade show. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Title Sponsor, recommends the event for architects, engineers, builders, city and town planners, building systems designers, developers, facility managers, investors, policy makers, real estate professionals, and other professionals interested in renewable energy and green building practices. The general public is invited to attend the free public forum and the trade show.

Bob Berkebile, keynote speaker, is a leading authority in the field of sustainable design. He has lectured and held design charettes internationally as well as at the White House, for the Department of Defense, and for FEMA. He is Principal of BNIM Architects and Elements Consulting in Kansas City, MO, founding chairman of the American Institute of Architects' National Committee on the Environment and advisor to the US Green Building Council. He brings over 40 years of experience to his talk entitled, "Can a Design Revolution Meet Humanity's Greatest Challenge?"

Berkebile's work in green building looks to Einstein who said, "We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive." Berkebile suggests that we need a paradigm shift in how we think about design to meet today's challenges. "We need to use a new collaborative design process that can create new approaches and tools and beautiful environments that can restore social, economic, and environmental vitality to our communities," says Berkebile.

The Honorable Thomas M. Menino will welcome the conference attendees to Boston on Wednesday, March 8 at 9:00 a.m., continuing his demonstrated environmental leadership. NESEA will recognize the Mayor for policy initiatives, including the recently issued Green Building Task Force Report to increase green building within the City of Boston. Mayor Menino also demonstrates a personal commitment to the environment by driving a car fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). He is believed to be the nation's first mayor with an alternative fuel vehicle as his official personal vehicle.

"We are thrilled to have Bob Berkebile delivering the keynote speech and honored to have Mayor Menino initiating Building Energy '06," says Christine Scott, Senior Planner/Urban Designer at Goody Clancy, an architectural, planning, and preservation firm in Boston, and Chair of the Building Energy Conference. "Interest in green building and clean energy development is growing exponentially, and we are pleased to be able to bring together so many experts and practitioners for this wonderful event. Our 170 speakers and 120 exhibitors demonstrate how sustainability also makes good business sense - using green to increase a company's bottom line."

Other featured speakers addressing the conference theme of Proven Profitable Partnership include:

Marc Rosenbaum of Energysmiths, on zero-energy homes; Greg Watson of MTC-Renewable Energy Trust on off-shore wind energy potential; Chris Benedict of Chris Benedict, R.A., will moderate "Technology Transfer" sessions; John Todd of John Todd Ecological Design will discuss water in our urban future; Steven Selkowitz of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory will discuss daylighting the New York Times Building; Steven Winter of Steven Winter Associates will speak at the Public Forum on how green building can help society transition away from oil; Chris Schaffner of The Green Engineer will talk about the basics of energy in buildings; and Steven Strong of Solar Design Associates will talk about his experience with building integrated photovoltaics over the past 25 years.

Other highlights of Building Energy '06 include the Trade Show held on Wednesday and Thursday, March 8-9, and the Public Forum entitled, "Energy: Crisis or Opportunity?" to be held on Tuesday evening, March 7. Alternate Energy is the sponsor of this year's Trade Show. It will be the conference's largest and most comprehensive renewable energy and green building trade show ever held. The trade show floor also offers networking opportunities, and is the site of NESEA Night with Live and Silent Auctions - an annual NESEA celebration of community.

Goody Clancy is a Gold Sponsor of Building Energy 2006. Additional sponsors include: Alternative Energy Retailer, American Planning Association, Arrowstreet, BuildingGreen, Cape Light Compact, Cape Wind Associates, Commercial Builder/Architect Magazine, Connecticut Clean Energy Fund, Conservation Services Group, Contractor Power, CSRwire, E-The Environmental Magazine, Efficiency Maine, EIN Publishing, Energy Magazine, Environmental Design and Construction Magazine, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, GreenBiz.com, Haworth, High Profile Monthly, Honeywell Utility Solutions, Home Energy Magazine, KeySpan Energy Delivery, Long Island Power Authority, Maine's State Energy Program, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, New England Cable News, New England Real Estate Journal, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, NSTAR, Residential Design & Build Magazine, Rhode Island Renewable Energy Fund, Sasaki, Smart HomeOwner Magazine, SmartPower, Solar Design Associates, Sterling Planet, UK Trade and Investment, and the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA), organizer of the conference, is the Northeast's leading organization of professionals working in sustainable energy, whole systems thinking and green technologies. NESEA facilitates the widespread adoption and use of sustainable energy by providing support to industry professionals and by educating and motivating consumers to learn about, ask for, and adopt sustainable energy and green building practices. NESEA accomplishes this through a number of ongoing programs and annual events including the Building Energy conference and trade show, its Sustainable Yellow Pages, K-12 educational materials, and award-winning public education events such as the Tour de Sol and the Green Building Open House.

For more information or to register for Building Energy 2006 -- "The Practice of Sustainability: Proven Profitable Partnership," please visit www.BuildingEnergy.nesea.org

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