Globe Conference Gathers Business and Sustainability Leaders from around the World in Vancouver

Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA - I've been north of the border, gathering insights at the Globe 2008 conference in Vancouver, B.C. If you know about Globe, then you know this is one of the biggest international events about sustainability.

If you haven't heard of Globe, I can tell you it is not yet-another-upstart conference to tap into the environmental revival. Globe is also one of the longest-running conferences for sustainable business, having started in the early 1990s.

This year 10,000 business leaders, environmentalists and government officials from 80 countries are converging here at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre, downtown on the waterfront. The keynote addresses featured six speakers including British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell and Prince Philippe, Crown Prince of Belgium.

"Like British Columbia, Globe 2008 is focused on the business of the environment and reinforcing the idea that a healthy environment and a strong economy are not mutually exclusive," Campbell said at a press gathering after the opening plenary. "As B.C. welcomes business and government leaders from around the world to Globe 2008, we are eager and determined to find opportunities to work together to set the world on a new course towards sustainability."

The three-day event offers sessions on five themes. The "Building Better Cities" theme is all about green building and urban planning. The first session in that track was on net zero energy buildings. This was a popular session where the 200 seats and most of the standing room filled quickly.