In 1997, Southface staff, along with several of our friends at the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, had an idea. Southface's education and outreach seemed to be playing a significant role in new conversations about community development. So we thought it would be beneficial to bring together those experts whom we saw providing vision, expertise and leadership with design and construction professionals, developers and policy makers to start a comprehensive discussion about sustainable communities - by design. Thus Greenprints was born. Two hundred people attended the first Greenprints Conference in 1998. Learning sessions convened at a small hotel near the Decatur MARTA station. Twenty exhibitors displayed a handful of environmentally friendly products.

The Green Tradeshow features innovative green building products and services all in one place! Meet the manufacturers and see first hand the products and services that are providing both environmental and economical solutions.

Five years later, Atlanta celebrated an entire Green Week of special activities surrounding the conference, sponsored by the Georgia Institute of Technology, US Green Building Council and AIA Atlanta Committee on the Environment.

Greenprints 2002 overtook an entire wing of meeting rooms at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, also filling the largest hotel exhibit facility in town. Conference tracks explored business strategy, construction ecology and clean energy issues relative to sustainable design, construction and community. Despite a lagging economy and the after-effects of the September 11 tragedy, the generosity of our sponsors and friends enabled us to bring a quality event to over 1,200 participants last year.

Since its inception, Greenprints has been joined on the sustainability front by such prestigious events as the NAHB Green Building Conference and US Green Building Council's International Conference and Expo.

So how do we keep it fresh, and what keeps people coming back?

Greenprints continues to be an affordable conference attracting all stakeholders in sustainability - design and construction practitioners, developers and land planners, municipal governments and policy makers, business owners and consumers. Greenprints strives to provide attendees with not only the insights but also the tools required to design and build a successful green project.

What's new at Greenprints 2003?

Those familiar with the USGBC's LEED Green Building Rating System will have two opportunities to advance their knowledge and capacity for green design before Greenprints even begins. Energy modeling, a method for optimizing green building design, is encouraged under LEED. Energy modeling demonstrates the benefits of incorporating energy efficiency measures into a building's design. Often assumed to be a complicated process, we will debunk the myths at an all day workshop February 11. Register for "Demystifying Energy Modeling" at www.greenprints.org. This class is limited to 25 participants.

A Master Speaker at Greenprints for the past several years, Steven Strong will take his Solar Design session to the next level in 2003. Many of our attendees have told us they need more time with Steven to learn the "how-to's" of integrated solar design. Wednesday, February 12, we'll offer the opportunity to "plug in" to solar power during an all-day, pre-conference workshop on photovoltaics in buildings. Space is limited. Register at www.greenprints.org.

Wednesday, the USGBC will hold an intermediate workshop on LEED. Geared toward those already familiar with LEED, this workshop is intended to further attendees' ability to leverage LEED in the workplace and prepare for the LEED accreditation examination.

Another added attraction this year is a special 6th conference track-informative sessions to accompany the green tradeshow. Our most cutting-edge exhibitors give presentations on topics ranging from healthy indoor environments to certified wood.

Our Eco-Atlanta Tour, a bus ride "field trip" to show you the stages of green building first hand, takes a new turn in 2003. Attendees will get to choose between a commercial or the familiar residential Eco-Tour. The AIA Atlanta Committee on the Environment hosts the commercial trip to several projects in various stages of completion, including Emory's Math and Science Building and a panel discussion with Georgia Tech's Dupree College of Management LEED Design Team. The Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and EarthCraft House pair up to launch the residential eco-tour to EarthCraft homes of varying price points and levels of completion.

The green design charrette is a process that allows multidisciplinary participation by owners, architects, engineers and others to create a truly integrated design. Last year Southface’s proposed commercial building served as the subject for a “blue sky” design charrette exercise. The results were unveiled at the conference closing reception and ranged from people powered workstations to zero water-use technologies. This year, NREL will take the same design challenge, and a tight program, a studied budget and identified technologies. With a short list of final project architects selected just prior to Greenprints, we expect this hands on eco-charrette to heavily influence the final design of Southfaces actual commercial building.

Commercial and Residential Eco-Atlanta Tours Southface and AIA Atlanta’s Committee on the Environment collaborate to bring you a tour of innovative green commercial projects. See projects in various phases of completion (including a return to Emory’s now completed Math and Science building) and enjoy a brief panel discussion by Georgia Tech’s Dupree College of Management LEED™ Design Team. Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association and Southface Energy Institute present the EarthCraft House residential eco-tour. EarthCraft House is one of the nation’s fastest growing residential green building programs and participants will tour houses of varying price points and phases of completion.

Introductory Sessions

For green building novices, Greenprints 2003 is the place to start your sustainable journey! The USGBC is graciously hosting an entire LEED track, including introductory-level sessions, at Greenprints.

Also, look for the sun symbol throughout our Greenprints registration materials to indicate introductory sessions on all aspects of green design and construction.

If it ain't broke…

We wouldn't dream of tinkering with the Greenprints favorites that keep our attendees coming back:

Our Master Speaker Series returns with Amy Vickers, Nigel Howard, Malcolm Lewis, Alex Wilson, Dan Burden and Judith Heerwagen. Please see page link for more about these experts.

Our second Green Design Charrette again pairs DOE and NREL experts with Greenprints attendees to work on Southface Energy Institute's new commercial facility. Last year was a "blue sky" exercise; this year, realistic parameters will help shape the final design for the addition to the Southface Energy and Environmental Resource Center.

	Our Southface Closing Reception and Alternative Fuel Vehicle Show are always a hit. For the second year, Winter hosts the finale, a conference networking and wind-down event. So, this February, bring your whole team to Greenprints: Sustainable Communities by Design.
Join us as we look into the future of transportation at the Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV) Show featuring electric, natural gas and reduced fuel consumption and emission vehicles. Take a ride in an AFV to get a closer look at this cutting-edge transportation technology.