November 5, 2010

Dutch and U.S. Partners Hold Green Building Seminar

Event will take place during the Green Build International Conference and Expo in Chicago, November 17, 2010.

WASHINGTON, DC — The Royal Netherlands Embassy, in cooperation with the American Planning Association (APA), the U.S. Green Building Council, the U.S. Embassy in The Hague and Dutch representatives at Green Build Chicago will hold the Building Green, Planning Green, Living Green half-day seminar on November 17 to discuss methods to make our urban environments more sustainable.

The Netherlands and the U.S. work in tandem to grow their economies through green investments and sustainable solutions. Building Green, Planning Green, Living Green will bring together high-level Dutch and American government officials, architects and urban planners to share best practices in sustainable building, architecture and planning. Participants will examine Dutch and American case studies that demonstrate how green design, urban planning, technology, and social and economic factors can be better integrated.

See how Dutch and U.S. partners showcased green building, planning, and living expertise at this event. Video courtesy of www.the-netherlands.org.

Building Green, Planning Green, Living Green takes place from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the American Planning Association, 205 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 1200, in Chicago.

Featured speakers include:

• Dutch Ambassador to the United States, Renée Jones-Bos
• U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, Fay Hartog-Levin
• W. Paul Farmer, FAICP, CEO, American Planning Association
• Henk Ovink, Dutch Ministry of Housing, Planning and Environment
• Patricia Scudiero, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning.

This Dutch and U.S. seminar seeks to provide solutions to how the many segments of the sustainability field can combine architecture and sustainable urban planning to transform cities into dynamic green living and working spaces.

"The Netherlands is a country committed to sustainability, where we believe in putting our words into action. The Dutch Embassy in Washington is reducing its carbon footprint by 25 percent by the end of this year. This seminar will give leaders the latest school of thought in sustainability practices; practices which can be implemented in U.S. and the Netherlands," said Dutch Ambassador Renée Jones-Bos.

"The continuing partnership between the Dutch and APA illustrate the importance of international cooperation in addressing complex issues such as climate change," said W. Paul Farmer, FAICP, CEO of the American Planning Association. "This seminar is a perfect example of how sharing and learning from each other can help create sustainable places of lasting value."

Building Green, Planning Green, Living Green is organized around three breakout sessions where speakers and participants will identify common challenges and share solutions that cross sustainable planning, architecture, design and building practices.

• Building Green: Sharing Experience in Green Building Industry will look at the challenges and solutions at the building level from industry experts. The session will be led by Henk Ovink of the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Planning and Environment and Ana Marie Argilagos, Department of Housing and Urban Development (invited).
• Designing Green: Sharing Experience in Sustainable Architecture will explore how architects can influence stereotypical thinking and images of green buildings. The session will be moderated by Ole Bouman, Netherlands Architect Institute and Llewellyn Wells, Founder Living City Block.
• Living Green: Sharing Experience in Sustainable Planning will delve into the existing US/Dutch conversations in climate change adaptation, water management and waterfront development. This session will be led by Luc Vrolijks, Urban Progress and John Reinhardt, AICP, American Planning Association.

Contacts

Carla Bundy, Royal Netherlands Embassy; 202-274-2632; cy.bundy@minbuza.nl

Roberta Rewers, APA Public Affairs; 312-786-6395; rrewers@planning.org