Crowds flock to Greenbuild conference

Thousands packed the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center today for the opening of the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo, a trade show run by the nonprofit US Green Building Council.

Organizers said early numbers show that the conference has attracted at least 25,000 attendees.

"We maxed out the conference hall, and with how big the BCEC is that shows something, and that is that people are getting it," said Kimberly Lewis, the council's vice president of conferences and events. Lewis said more than 800 companies are represented at the expo.

By late morning, traffic was backed up outside the convention center as attendees navigated around delivery trucks and cabs. Inside the convention center on Summer Street, participants browsed displays for products ranging from solar-tube lighting to eco-friendly toilets.
(By Erin Ailworth, Globe staff)