Dear Members and Friends,

It has been a hectic few months since our successful event inToronto last July.  You can expect to all of the news from Andrew Bowerbank, our Executive Director regarding the on- goings of our new Secretariat, including staffing updates. 

Many of you will be gathering in Chicago for the upcoming Greenbuild Conference and the coinciding WorldGBC International events.  This year we are increasing the opportunities to meet and share information over previous years. Networking sessions and meetings will be held throughout the week with our growing member roster and staff base and partners.

1. We will be holding a full board meeting on Monday November 5 to review our strategic plans and goals for 2008-2010.  All current board members are invited to attend and help shape our common future.
2. On Tuesday November 6 we will host an International Forum which will see a full day of international presentations and discussions;
3. On Wednesday November 7 WorldGBC will be hosting an International Reception;
4. On Thursday November 8 WorldGBC is inviting our partners from iiSBE, SBCI, WBC, SD, and CCI to gather for a session to discuss our various initiatives and areas for increased cooperation and leverage. 

Emerging Councils:

Guido has prepared a separate report on the status of emerging members which will be the subject of detailed discussions throughout the week at Greenbuild.  Additional one on one GBC meetings will be held to help further their development

Committees:

As we increase our membership and staffing to support WorldGBC activities we will establish committees to help get some of the key work completed.  Initially we have identified 5 key committees that we would like to establish at the Board meeting in Chicago: finance, events, communications, technical, and outreach.

As we begin creating these key committees we would love to have volunteers come forward with expressions of interest.  Establishing diverse and appropriate expertise throughout our committees will be essential to their success so please identify who in your GBCs may be ready, willing and able to help move WorldGBC to the next level.

All in all, we anticipate the gathering at Greenbuild this year to be a historic milestone in the WorldGBC legacy.

Beyond Greenbuild, we will have numerous GBC events throughout 2008, but there are two specific dates to put in your calendars:

1. February 26-28: Ecobuild, LondonUK (this will be the site of our WorldGBC Congress to coincide with UKGBC’s Ecobuild events);
2. September 21-25: SB08 Melbourne, Melbourne Australia (a WorldGBC Congress will take place along with other events organized by WorldGBC as part of this premiere international event).

Towards the end of 2008 we will gather in Boston for Greenbuild 2008.

We have a busy 12 months ahead as we continue to build momentum and promote best practices globally. This is an exciting time for us all.

Yours truly,

Kevin Hydes

Chair, WorldGBC