I have been fortunate enough to get a scholarship to attend the World’s Largest Green Building Expo and Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It has been a great experience for me to make the most of my one year program here in United States. It feels great to be part of the event where you could meet and talk about sustainability and resilience from people around the country and world who are on the same platform as yours. Millennials, young professionals, Students and all other experts come together to talk about the major world problems like Climate Change and how to combat it. Not only did I get to meet other emerging architects but also got to know about many other platforms and fields who are constantly working to make this world a better place to live.
My scholarship included travel, accommodation and event ( keynotes, education programs and workshops). The highlight of the event was the main keynote speaker of the event, former President of United States, Barack Obama. Other keynotes who really inspired me were Dr. Bernice King and Jasmine Crowne (founder of Goodr). It was a remarkable feeling listening to these world leaders and getting inspired and later sharing knowledge and views with other fellow attendees. Mahesh Ramanujan ( CEO and President of USGBC) has been my another motivation. He talked about Living Standard and other such platforms by USGBC and GBCI towards healthier buildings and environment. There were quite a few educational sessions I participated in. They were mostly about Biophilia, Net Zero Energy, Resilience and WELL.
Attending this event has given me a wide platform for my future careers abd options towards sustainability. As an architect, I came across some very cool building materials which were affordable and sustainable. At the Expo Hall, you would find the most about LEED, building materials, equipment, Autodesk and other BIM and building components. I even ended up ordering few samples for my company because we deal with interiors too. There were some other cool events that took place simultaneously which were more inclined towards Atlanta and sustainability developments in the city including its Airport. These events are great to even network and socialise with people of your mindset. This has been one of the best experiences I had in these last 5 months in USA.
I would highly recommend other fellow readers and upcoming J-1 applicants to apply for this event if they happen to be in America in the month of November. Its definitely a life learning event and a week full of knowledge and engaging with professionals around the world.
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