Enthusiasm was in full swing at Greenbuild’s Opening Keynote & Celebration at the Chase Field in Phoenix. The impressive baseball stadium and home of the Arizona Diamondbacks played host to the nearly 28,000 Greenbuild attendees who listened to a keynote speech from former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore before enjoying a closing concert from nine-time Grammy award winner Sheryl Crow. The event kicked off on the baseball field, where attendees snacked on ballpark-themed hors d’oeuvres such as barbecue chicken sliders, Cracker Jacks and mini root beer floats. The plenary began at 7 p.m. with a talk by David Kohler, President and COO of Kohler Co., who described Kohler’s initiatives in water-conservation and social responsibility.

President, CEO and Founding Chair of USGBC Rick Fedrizzi spoke next, describing the plethora of opportunity present in the green building sector despite the current economic climate. Fedrizzi also introduced heads of the World Green Building Council’s international partners, including representatives from: Australia, the U.K., South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, India, Canada, Mexico and Brazil. The speakers took turns addressing the crowd on parallel stages across the stadium, each describing the particular environmental challenges facing their respective countries and how green building is playing a role in tackling those challenges and strengthening their countries’ infrastructures.Former Vice President Gore charmed the crowd with playful stories concerning his current status as a “recovering politician.” Gore praised the USGBC and Greenbuild attendees for their dedication to the issue of climate change and emphasized the connection between many of the country’s current problems and its reliance on foreign oil. Political action, Gore said, was the last puzzle piece needed to make real strides in American’s ability to prevent and reverse climate change.

Sheryl Crow capped off the night with a highly charged performance that included many of her most popular hits. Crow, who is well known for her environmental activism and her promotion of new energy efficient technologies, brought down the house with her cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Rock & Roll," the final song of her encore.