George Bandy, Jr.

George Bandy, Jr. currently serves as the Vice President of Sustainability at Interface, concentrating on global relationships. George is focused on customer intimacy and increase growth within Interface’s largest customers and specifiers by translating the sustainability leadership position of Interface into a direct market advantage.

George provides substantial knowledge of the concepts and practices of sustainability. He believes that looking at opportunities to position environmental, economic and socially responsible solutions for customers can set the standard for other businesses to follow that will result in a brighter future for us all. George is a member of Interface’s Americas Sustainability Council (formerly the Xtreme Green Team).

The Americas Sustainability Council focuses on advancing Mission Zero, Interface’s promise to eliminate any negative impact on the environment by 2020. George is a dynamic speaker and travels extensively as a presenter with lectures
covering such topics as: The Business Case for Sustainability, Innovation and Design with Nature in Mind, Greening the Supply Chain, Social Sustainability and Culture Change.

Before coming to Interface, George served as the Sustainable Development Officer for the University of Texas-Houston where his role was to educate, develop and support the University in facility operations, construction, development and business practices that demonstrated minimum negative repercussions on social, economic and environmental issues in their use or application. These practices also had to be efficient in their consumption of energy and natural resources. He supported the Building System Analysis of the School of Nursing and the Student Center at
UT Houston.

In addition to his duties at Interface, George also serves on the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) Board of Directors as Chair-Elect. George has been active in the USGBC since its founding in 1995 and has served in leadership capacities on both a national and local level. A LEED Accredited Professional, he is former chairman of the Georgia chapter and had roles on the National Social Equity Committee, the North Carolina Chapter Advisory Board and the Green Economy Board.

George is a native of Opelika, Alabama and a graduate of Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA with a Bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Environmental Business Management with continued sustainability training at the University
of Texas-Houston.

Eric Corey Freed

Attack of the Dodo-Sapiens: Innovative New Models for Sustainable Development

Eric is returning for his 5th consecutive year at the MGBCE! Each year he brings a brand new version of his hilarious and informative talks.

Eric Corey Freed, LEED AP, Hon. FIGP, is Principal of organicARCHITECT, an architecture and consulting firm in California, with 20 years of experience in green building.

Eric co-developed the Sustainable Design programs at the Academy of Art University and University of California Berkeley Extension. He is on the boards of USGBC Inland Empire, Architects, Designers & Planners for Social Responsibility (ADPSR), and West Coast Green, as well as the advisory boards of a dozen other organizations.

He was the founding Chair of Architecture for The San Francisco Design Museum and one of the founders of ecoTECTURE: The Online Journal of Ecological Design. He is a regular contributor for Sustainable Industries Journal, Luxe, Natural Home, Metropolitan Home and dozens of other publications. Eric lectures around the country at 40+ conferences a year, and his work has been featured in Dwell, Metropolis, Town & Country, Natural Home and Newsweek. He has been seen on television on Fox News, HGTV, The Sundance Channel and PBS.

When Eric was just 25 years old, noted architect and critic Philip Johnson described him as "one of the real brains of his generation". Today, Eric continues the tradition of “Organic Architecture”, first developed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

He is a founding board member and current Chair of the Coachella Valley branch of the US Green Building Council, and sits on the Sustainability Commission for the City of Palm Desert. He has received awards from several Mayors, and worked with dozens of municipalities around the country to help implement sustainable policies.

Eric is the author of four books, including "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies", a bestseller with over 200,000 copies in print, and "Sustainable School Architecture." His latest, “Green$ense for your Home” won the 2011 Outstanding Book Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Eric is considered a leader in the field; named by San Francisco Magazine "Best Green Architect" in 2005; "Best Visionary" in 2007; and "Green Visionary" by 7x7 Magazine in 2008. In 2012, he was named one of the 25 "Best Green Architecture Firms" in the US, and one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Green Architects."