GreenBuildExpo, the US Green Building Council's annual convention, is a mighty impressive event. This year they've taken over the entire Boston Conference and Exhibition Center. Among the highlights so far ...

Archbishop Desmond Tutu keynoted this morning's opening plenary. For this celebrated global figure to speak here says legions about the stature of this gathering. Tutu is a pixie of a man with a delightful, impish speaking style. He applauded the election of Obama ("people everywhere are walking a bit taller now"), spoke compellingly about the impacts of climate change (melting ice in Greenland, dying trees on South Sea islands), and ended with a sweet, moving and slightly theatrical plea: "Please help me. Please help me. Please help me."

He got a standing ovation. I would have been astonished if he hadn't. For one thing, he's a man of immensely quirky charm. For another, he's a world-famous spiritual leader. It would have been almost insulting not to rise and applaud.

The conference itself, though, is all business.

Fifty thousand people are expected at this year's gathering, double last year's total. I waited in line to check my bag. I waited in line to pay for my bottled water. I waited here and there to make my way through the crowd at the exhibition hall. A friend of mine who lives in Boston told me he'd be at GreenBuildExpo, and we promised to look out for each other. We've got about as much chance of bumping into each other as if we were both in a small city on a given day. Over the years, I've been to more than a few expos where the exhibitors had nothing to do but play pinochle with each other. Not at GreenBuildExpo: this place is rockin'. The challenge for exhibitors here is: too darn many exhibitors!

Some more early observations ...

A number of insurance companies, including Travelers and the much-in-the-news-of-late AIG, are now offering green insurance. Basically, if you have green insurance and suffer a total loss, the insurer will underwrite a green renovation at the most basic ("Certified") LEED level. Fireman's Fund, which launched the concept two years ago, is now offering discounted insurance to LEED-certified buildings. In addition, Fireman's uses green claims handling practices such as recycling debris and flushing out the building with fresh air. The insurer also offers free green risk management services to current and prospective customers. It's a business development tool for them, and it also saves money over the long run. Says David Cohen, one of the people staffing the booth, "A green building is usually a safe building."

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So far, the winner of the In-Your-Face Branding Award is: Big Ass Fans. The company sells, take a really wild guess, big-ass fans. They're giving away caps with their brand name on the peak. Probably not a big hit among women.