Next week Birmingham will host the Green Building Focus Conference and Expo.

Experts in the field will be here—Karan Grover from India, Llewellyn Van Wyk from South Africa and Dr. Charles Kibert to name a few. It’s a gathering of like-minded individuals who are interested in sustainable designs and construction, conservation, recycling and reuse. Each will share knowledge with others, all while learning. We are bringing Chris Brogan to Birmingham as a speaker and participant at the event.

Chris is a social media guru. Why is he a fit for this event? I have been getting that question for months. Very simply, Chris and others in this field have mastered the use of Web 2.0 to be trust agents, not marketers but digitally savvy “regular people” who use the Web to humanize and be transparent, honest and genuine. They leverage action tasks for good. To me, it’s a natural fit. Chris has wisdom to share about how to use the Web to influence and build relationships that promote the initiatives of the GBF.

I got a chance to visit with Chris on Monday at his office in New England, beyond the normal “getting to know you” chat. We talked about things that are important in each other’s lives and the trails we have taken over the years. (He is younger on the trail than me.) We talked about the Web. We talked about helping others and not expecting anything in return. We talked about the times in our lives when we have truly struggled. Genuine. Honest. Transparent. And yes, we are trying to make a difference for others as we move along.

I hope you’ll be able to make the conference next week. I can assure you that Chris has a lot to share.