Jan Habets, Founding Member of 'Green City" Initiative, to Give Keynote Address at Congress 2009

Jan Habets

Learn all about the European 'Green City' initiative by attending Congress 2009, Canada's largest horticultural trade show and conference, held annually in Toronto in January.

Jan Habets, managing director of Plant Publicity Holland, founding member of the 'Green City' initiative and committee member for the World Horticultural Exhibition, Floriade 2012, has been involved in horticulture since 1979 with roles in research, international marketing and communications. Habets will be delivering the keynote address about the current state of Europe's 'Green City' initiative on January 6th at Congress 2009.

The 'Green City' concept promotes the enrichment that high quality green space brings to society. Introduced to the world at the Floriade 2002, the 'Green City' endeavors to ensure that 'green' programs are included at the beginning of the planning process on an equal footing with buildings and infrastructure. Benefits such as health and public safety, increased property values and improved employee productivity, supported by scientific and economic data and the horticultural know-how to deliver the programs comes together in the 'Green City' philosophy.

"The presence of Mr. Habets will emphasize to our audience the worldwide importance of horticulture to society," said Paul Day, Show Manager for Congress 2009. "We are extremely fortunate to have a speaker of this caliber open our event."

Plant Publicity Holland is an organization dedicated to the collective promotion of nursery stock to the consumer market with an aim to increase the number of buyers and the number of purchases per consumer in the Netherlands and around the world. It uses the motto 'The Right Plant in the Right Place' to inform consumers in the landscape and amenity markets about the products and their uses and includes local authorities, landscape architects and organizations responsible for public green space.

Congress 2009 is Canada's largest annual horticultural trade show and conference with more 12,000 attendees. It is produced by Landscape Ontario, one of the most sizeable horticultural trade associations in North America with over 2,300 members. With its mission to represent, promote and foster a favorable environment, Landscape Ontario advances the horticultural industry in Ontario.

For more information, visit:
Landscape Ontario Congress 2009: www.locongress.com
www.thegreencity.co.uk