Bill Browning is a partner in Terrapin Bright Green.  He is one of the green building and real estate industry’s foremost thinkers and strategists, and an advocate for sustainable design solutions at all levels of business, government and civil society. His expertise has been sought out by organizations as diverse as Fortune 500 companies, leading universities, non-profit organizations, the U.S. military and foreign governments. Bill was a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Board of Directors, and he has served as an advisor on high-profile demonstration projects including Wal-Mart's Eco-mart and the Greening of the White House.The evening includes a reception, art exhibition and silent auction.

Spend the day “in-town” and explore green design with the Chicago Architecture Foundation. Curators Kate Keleman and Franck Mercurio will lead tours of two new exhibits at the Foundation that focus on green design: Neighborhoods Go Green!andHow Much Does It Cost?  Foundation docents will then lead a 2-hour walking tour of downtown Chicago called Green Inside Out. See first-hand how architects have (and have not) considered the environment in designing Chicago’s world-famous buildings.

What is “green art” and why does it matter?  Ponder these questions at the opening of Art of Green, a survey of Chicago artists and designers who are working in a variety of green mediums. Meet the artists themselves—painters, sculptors, photographers, and graphic designers—and discover the range of environmental concepts being expressed in art today. Organized with the Chicago Artists’ Coalition.

Get a sneak preview of several interpretive artworks created for a new nature preserve.  Join curator Dr.Lisa Roberts for a “work-in-progress” tour of public art at the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve in Fort Sheridan.  See how art can enhance the visitor experience and help transform the natural environment into a “learning landscape” for people of all ages and abilities.

The North Shore is going green!  See the proof in this private bus tour of green homes.  First stop is the architecture studio of Mike Kollman who will present designs for “Smarthaus” and give an introduction to sustainable practices in residential design. Afterward, visit green townhouses in Highland Park, a Frank Lloyd Wright renovation in Glencoe, and a newly-constructed single family home, also in Glencoe.

Bring a picnic supper and enjoy a selection of films “under the stars” on the lawn of Brushwood. To open the evening, curator Franck Mercurio will lead a gallery tour of The Art of Green group exhibition at Brushwood, followed by a screening of three short films showcasing green design around the world.  See how architects and city planners are working with nature to design the places where we live, work, and play.  Films include The Nature of Cities, The Green Machine, and Flower Tower, among others.

Join local green architect Bill Sturm (who designed the Ryerson Woods Welcome Center and the Greenbelt Cultural Center renovation) and Canadian research scientist Alan Darling on a tour of the new “North Shore Gas Living Wall” at the Greenbelt Cultural Center.  Darling invented this beautiful vertical garden technology, which improves air quality, energy efficiency and building acoustics.  This is the first use of this innovative technology in the Midwest.  Don’t miss the opportunity to view this exciting trend in sustainable architecture with the experts.