If you have ever been to Greenbuild, you probably understand that the Exhibit Hall is completely and totally overwhelming.  Row after row of "green" companies pay good money to the US Green Building Council to hawk their wares and services. But the Exhibit Hall was different this year.  As I walked the aisles with a friend, he looked at me and said "this is not a 'green' exhibition."  

I think he was right.  The Exhibit Hall is no longer about “green”; the new name of the game is “innovation.” 

I attended Greenbuild in 2008, which was the largest Greenbuild of all time.  I remember companies trying to "out green" each other with silly marketing claims and huge displays.  I lost track of the number of tote bags, cardboard pens and recycled paper that were being given away.  There was less swag this year, and more focus on products. 

It took me three days of wandering around the massive Exhibit Hall to figure out what was going on.  The green building industry has matured over the last two years.  Companies involved in the green building industry are now unabashedly focusing on profit.  Making “green” claims is simply not enough.  Instead, the name of the game is innovation to create more efficient products. 

My final walk of the Exhibit Hall was with a major product manufacturer.  We did the exact same walk two years ago at Greenbuild in Boston.  I can distinctly remember him telling me about his company’s plan to get into green building.  In Chicago this year, he was talking about how he will be partnering with entrepreneurs and inventors to create the next generation of technology in his industry. 

The green building industry has grown up.  Now that we have moved past simple “green” claims, I believe we will see start to see innovations and game changers that truly improve are building stock.