Greenbuild wraps New York conference with more than 250 exhibitors

Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2026 ended in New York City after drawing thousands of sustainability professionals to the Javits Center. The event spotlighted resilience, decarbonization and LEED v5 as the building industry faces pressure to cut emissions and retrofit existing stock.

Why it matters: - Greenbuild brought together sustainability professionals, builders and technology companies at a moment when the built environment is under pressure to lower emissions and improve resilience. - The conference emphasized investment decisions that can shape retrofits, new development and long-term building performance. - The program pushed forward LEED v5 adoption, a key signal for the next phase of green building standards.

What happened: - Greenbuild International Conference + Expo 2026 took place at the Javits Center in New York City. - The event hosted thousands of sustainability professionals. - More than 250 companies exhibited on the show floor. - The conference offered more than 150 CE-accredited education sessions. - Session topics included resilience, decarbonization, sustainable finance strategies and climate policy. - The 2026 theme was "Invest for Impact." - Programming focused on investing in new projects and retrofitting existing structures. - Tuesday featured full-day summits and half-day workshops on designing buildings for resilience, strategic decarbonization and building a sustainable future with LEED v5. - Green building tours took place at sites across New York City.

The details: - Fareed Zakaria, host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN Worldwide, opened the Wednesday keynote session sponsored by Apollo Energies. - Zakaria discussed the geopolitical landscape and its connection to creating a healthier world for future generations. - Thursday’s keynote included a welcome from Doreen M. Harris, president and CEO of the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. - A panel followed on building the digital future sustainably, with a focus on data centers. - Panelists included Beth Lowry of Holder Construction, Cyre Mercedes Quiñones of Infrastructure Masons, Katie Bachman of STACK Infrastructure and Noah Goldstein of Google. - Lauren Kiel of Bloomberg Media moderated the panel. - Peter Templeton, president and CEO of the U.S. Green Building Council and Green Building Certification Inc., said New York City has long shown what is possible for sustainable buildings and communities. - Templeton said the theme "Invest for Impact" reflects directing resources, expertise and partnerships toward lasting value. - Templeton also said the week highlighted innovative retrofits, resilient designs and increasing adoption of LEED v5. - Greenbuild sessions addressed equity, health, ecosystems and the need for resilient structures. - Other sessions covered the built environment, investing, decarbonization, embodied carbon, resilience and collaboration. - Katie Gillham, Greenbuild event director, said the week was transformative and highlighted climate discussions, retrofits and technology that improve building performance. - Gillham said Greenbuild's first time in New York City brought the community together to reach climate goals, decarbonize the built environment and create healthy communities for future generations. - Attendees joined networking and wellness activities, including morning runs and walks, yoga, the annual Women in Green Luncheon, speed networking and roundtable discussions. - The conference ended Thursday with the Greenbuild After Hours Party at TAO Downtown, sponsored by Autodesk. - The evening event included live music, a DJ, food and drinks. - Attendees also toured the Empire State Buildings, the Refinery at Domino Sugar Factory, the Apollo Theater and other LEED and SITES projects across the city. - New for 2026, attendees had access to AI summaries of education sessions and session recordings. - More information is available on Greenbuild's website. - Greenbuild 2027 is scheduled for Oct. 19-22, 2027, in Chicago at McCormick Place Convention Center, with the expo set for Oct. 20-21. - Registration for Greenbuild 2027 is open.

Between the lines: - The New York debut signals Greenbuild's intent to anchor its message in a major market with visible examples of sustainable development. - The focus on data centers reflects growing industry concern about the energy and climate footprint of digital infrastructure. - Adding AI session summaries and recordings suggests the event is trying to extend the value of its content beyond the in-person audience.

What's next: - Greenbuild shifts to Chicago in 2027, where the conference will again center sustainability, retrofits and decarbonization. - Organizers are likely to keep building on LEED v5, resilience and finance as core themes for the next event.