Global Star Speaker lined up for 2012 GBCSA Convention and Exhibition

Jerry Yudelson, the renowned pioneer in sustainable development.

Jerry Yudelson, a global green building thought leader, and a man who has been hailed as the ‘Godfather of Green’, will be sharing his knowledge and insight on sustainability at the 5th Annual Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) Convention and Exhibition, taking place at the CTICC in October.

The Godfather of Green

“Jerry Yudelson advocates for more environmentally respectful urban spaces that minimise the harm on our environment. He is acclaimed for his engaging presentations that have broad appeal among architects, engineers, contractors, developers and others in the green building, green products, green development and real estate marketplace,” says Brian Wilkinson, CEO of the GBCSA.

Yudelson, who holds an engineering degree, a masters in water resources engineering, and a masters of business administration with highest honours, is also the author of a dozen books, including the often-cited Developing Green: Strategies for Success  and Marketing Green Buildings . 

An acclaimed writer 

He has written for numerous magazines and journals, including Home Energy Magazine, Building Design & Construction, Environmental Design & Construction, Consulting-Specifying Engineer, The Construction Specifier, and Eco-Structure. His most recent book, Dry Run: Preventing the Next Urban Water Crisis , features practical water saving approaches for building managers, homeowners, architects, engineers, developers, and public officials faced with charting a course in a more arid future. 

An admired green career

His career in green building covers a wide spectrum of roles and issues. He was co-founder and director of the Green Building Services consulting unit of Portland General Electric. He has worked as a consultant for federal agencies, state governments, local governments and utilities. He has been the marketing director for two engineering firms in design and construction, worked in project development for wind power, co-generation, and photovoltaic systems, and been a management and marketing consultant for 200 firms ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small product manufacturers.

World-class speaker line-up

Yudelson will be joining a sensational speaker line-up for that includes Dan Epstein - Head of Sustainability and Regeneration for the London 2012 Olympic Delivery Authority; Dr. Nils Kok, an associate professor in Finance and Real Estate at Maastricht University, the Netherlands; Frank Berkeley, Managing Executive of Nedbank Corporate Property Finance and a director of Attfund Ltd, Acucap Properties Ltd and Sycom Property Fund Managers Limited; and Matthew Faddy, the head of Asset Management at one of Australia’s largest diversified listed property groups, GPT.

They will be presenting alongside Bruce Kerswill, the Executive Chairman of the GBCSA as well as the Vice Chairman of the World Green Building Council (World GBC) and Brian Wilkinson, the CEO of the Green Building Council of South Africa. 

The Rands and Sense of Green Building

Delegates can also anticipate an engaging panel discussion around the GBCSA’s latest publication “The Rands and Sense of Green Building”.  This is a recent study which builds on international and local case studies and sets out, in a clear and substantiated manner, the economic business case supporting green building – debunking the myth that green buildings cost more.

About the event

Hosted at the Cape Town International Convention Centre from the 23rd to the 25th of October, the GBCSA Convention is one of the highlights on the South African sustainability calendar. For more information or to book for the convention www.gbcsa-convention.org.za