Gearing Up For Greenbuild

Hello frequent flyer miles.

Less than 36 hours after touching down at PDX airport on Sunday night from a Beijing trip, I again embarked for the Friendly Skies to attend this year's Greenbuild conference here in Chicago. As I write this, I'm looking out from my hotel at Michigan Avenue and downtown Chicago, including two buildings I particularly love: the twin 'corn cob' buildings (officially known as Marina City, and pictured here), by architect Bertrand Goldberg (also seen on a Wilco album cover).

It was funny on the flight to Chicago this morning, because it seemed like half the plane was filled with people attending Greenbuild. Even Mayor Tom Potter was aboard - he'll be speaking at the PDX Lounge opening tonight. And say what you will about our self-described "irrelevant" head Portland honcho, but you've got to love any mayor of a major American city who flies in economy class. I also ran into principals from BOORA Architects, Opsis Architecture, and several others.

For those of you who don't know, Greenbuild is presented by the US Green Building Council, the people who issue the LEED ratings for green buildings. This is my third time around at the conference, after catching previous editions in Austin and Portland. I refused to go the year it was in Atlanta (not a fan of sprawl or the red-state South), and reluctantly missed last year's shindig in Denver. It's fun to be here in Chicago, though. And let me tell you: the Windy City is much prettier than Beijing.

This week in addition to posting here when I can, I will also be a guest blogger for BetterBricks.com, one of this blog's sponsors. I'll focus more on the intricacies of educational sessions I and the other BB people attend on their site, and use my own blog for a looser, more anecdotal perspective.

Speaking of which, we're all feeling a little star struck at this year's Greenbuild because the keynote speaker is not an architect or business leader, but one William Jefferson Clinton, the last legitimately elected president of the USA and a personal hero (for his politics, not the personal stuff that got him erroneously impeached). Maybe if I hang out at McDonald's after the address, I might get a personal audience with Bill over a couple Egg McMuffins.

Oh, and not that this has to do with architecture, but in this land of Big Ten football, I am very proudly prancing around in my Oregon Ducks stocking cap. It's needed, too. It's quite cold here and, appropriately given the city's nickname, very windy.

Comments

[Dean]

"Legitimately elected President"? Brian, give me a break!! Are you calling the 2004 election illegitimate? Keep your comments to architecture, and stay out of politics, PLEASE!!!

(Remember, if you will, Bill was not impeached for 'personal stuff', he was impeached for perjury - lying to a grand jury. Last time I checked, that is not 'personal stuff'. He was disbarred, if you recall, for the same reason.)

[Nikos]

Oh perjury, it pales compared to making a mockery of the Constitution by illegal wiretaps, cangaroo courts, suspending the Habeas Corpus! in Guantanamo and various CIA prisons around the world. If Clinton was impeached for perjury, Bush should be impeached and tried for war crimes (see Blackwater etc)
Try some waterboarding Dean and come back and report to us whether you agree with your government that it is NOT torture! I cannot believe anyone has the nerve to mention the word impeachement in 2007 and think of Clinton!

[Brian Libby]

Dean, you're probably somewhat correct that it was wrong of me to bring politics into this discussion...even though it's my blog. So I give at least a qualified apology, although I also can't completely condemn what Nikos has to say either. I forget that there really are Republicans living in Portland. I tend to think of it as a safe haven from the GOP, which isn't fair to those misguided souls in the minority here.

[Aneeda]

Speaking of misguided Republicans, I hear Measure 49 passed!!!

[Dean]

Nikos,
I said nothing about the current administration. My comments were about Bill Clinton. Excusing a felony because it 'pales' to another is silly. Enough said.

Brian,
Surprise, I am not a Republican. I enjoy your posts on architecture; however, they are better when you leave out irrelevant politics.

Measure 49 is relevant, of course, and I share your enthusiasm for it passing!