CHICAGO, May 22, 2012 - Two of the City of Chicago's leaders for sustainability joined together as keynote speakers to kick off the 2012 Building Green Chicago Conference and Expo today at the Chicago Mart Plaza.

Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino joined Chicago Chief Sustainability Officer Karen Weigert in talking about Chicago's numerous and wide-ranging initiatives to make it the greenest city in the world.

Andolino discussed how sustainability initiatives at Chicago's airports have evolved from green design and construction on the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) to now include all airport functions at O'Hare and Midway International Airports, such as rating concessions' green efforts on everything from composting to obtaining food locally; the O'Hare Urban garden, which is the world's first aeroponic garden at an airport; the O'Hare Apiary, which provides jobs and provides honey for products sold in Chicago and electric vehicle charging stations.

Andolino explained to the audience, comprised mainly of real estate professionals including architects, contractors and brokers, how the CDA Sustainable Airport Manual (SAM) is applicable to work beyond airports and can serve as a blueprint for projects across a variety of industries.

"Mayor Rahm Emanuel is committed to incorporating sustainability throughout our city to enhance the quality of life for Chicago residents," said Andolino. "At the Chicago Department of Aviation, we share the Mayor's commitment and passion to going green at Chicago's airports. In fact, sustainability programs at Chicago's airports complement the Mayor's citywide initiatives."

Now in its sixth year, Building Green Chicago has become a premier green building event for the region and had an estimated attendance of 250 people this year. The conference included educational seminars and a trade show displaying the latest green building products and services.

Click here for more information about Building Green Chicago.