PORTLAND, Ore., Sept. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Green Day Forum, Portland‘s premier green building conference, will feature a high-level roster of national and regional “champions of the triple bottom line.” The speakers will discuss their successful business models that empower people and communities, while furthering green building and financial goals.

The November 3rd event, to be held at The Gerding Theater at the Armory in Portland‘s Pearl district, will be keynoted by Nancy Murray, CEO of Builders of Hope, a nonprofit organization that rescues homes scheduled for demolition and retrofits them while training economically disadvantaged workers and creating community.

Jeff Zotara and architect Matt Rumbaugh, key forces behind the Green Schoolhouse Series, will discuss how the organization went about establishing robust public-private partnerships with leading corporations to build high performance LEED Platinum-designed buildings for Title 1 low-income public schools housed largely in decaying portable classrooms.

PCUN, Oregon‘s largest Latino organization and a union of farm, nursery, and reforestation workers, is building the CAPACES Leadership Institute (CLI), designed to be the first Passive House-certified office building in the U.S. The CLI building and management team will discuss how the project involves the community in sustainability efforts in order to create a healthier environment for the state’s Latino population.

A panel dedicated to new triple-bottom-line business models in green building will feature, among others, Stephen Aiguier, president of Portland‘s award-winning Green Hammer design-build firm. Aiguier was recently called out as one of the Portland Business Journal‘s 2011 “40 under 40” business leaders, and has successfully grown his company in spite of the real estate market downturn.

Is it more economical to build a new sustainable structure or retrofit an existing building? “The Economics of Historic Preservation” takes a look at cost implications of new versus old, a significant issue as cities explore downtown and neighborhood commercial district revitalization and the reuse of historic structures.

The United States Department of Energy‘s senior policy advisor Julie Hughes, and John Davies of the Opportunity Council’s Building Performance Center of Washington will discuss how we can create lasting, quality jobs through weatherization programs and make sustainable retrofits affordable.

About Green Day Forum
Earth Advantage Institute’s Green Day Forum is an annual event that brings together professionals from the green building industry with regional leaders and experts in design, technology and government to discuss the latest trends and policies in sustainable building. This full-day event addresses a different theme each year, offering a diverse range of panels, speakers and viewpoints, as well as a keynote, luncheon, and late afternoon networking reception. The conference was first held in 2008 and has grown in attendance each year. Green Day Forum Sponsors include Energy Trust of Oregon, Avista, Capital Pacific Bank, OneThing, Northwest Natural, Eoff Electrical Supply and Boise Cascade.

About Earth Advantage Institute

Earth Advantage Institute is a national nonprofit organization that works with the building industry to implement sustainable building practices. Its mission is to advance green building science and create an immediate, practical and cost-effective path to sustainability and reduction of carbon in the built environment. The organization achieves its objectives through an innovative range of programs for certification of high performance homes, remodels, sustainable communities, and commercial spaces. More information is available at www.earthadvantage.org.

For more information contact:

Tom Breunig
Earth Advantage Institute
(503) 968-7160 x36
tbreunig@earthadvantage.org

SOURCE Earth Advantage Institute