The Expo will last from 10am - 7pm and costs $5 to attend. The luncheon with Dr. Prätorius is at 11:30am and costs $35 in advance and $45 at the door.

Chattanooga’s largest environmentally-focused business event, an Eco Expo showcasing practical ideas on how to “learn green / live green,” returns to the Chattanooga Convention Center on Thursday, April 7th with two new program features.

This year’s Expo will offer a timely presentation to the community by Dr. Gerhard Prätorius, who headsCorporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability for Volkswagen at its headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. His luncheon address is sponsored by the Volkswagen Group of America, in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Chattanooga, Chattanooga Regional Manufacturers Association, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, Office of Sustainability, Chattanooga Technology Council, Chattanooga Convention and Visitors Bureau, Home Builders Association of Southern Tennessee, Chattanooga Association of Realtors, and The Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee.

As the co-author of VW’s highly-regarded global sustainability reports, Dr. Prätorius is a leading advocate for performance measurement and public accountability. “Companies can't be indifferent to how people respond to them,” he says. “Globalization today has become a driving force of efforts to protect our climate and preserve resources, of efforts to find sustainable solutions. Those enterprises which make use of such opportunities will lead the field.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Volkswagen Group of America, and sponsorship by Brewer Media, luncheon and admission proceeds will support the conservation mission of RiverRocks and its beneficiaries.

The goal of the Eco Expo is to showcase “green” products, services and technologies of interest to businesses and consumers. More than 1000 Eco Expo attendees each year discover new ways to achieve energy efficiency, preserve resources and lead healthier lifestyles. The 2011 Expo will again spotlight award-winning exhibits in four categories selected by the Chattanooga Green Committee -- creativity, resourcefulness, sustainability and people's choice.

Tickets for the 11:30 am luncheon include Expo admission, and are $35 in advance or $45 at the door. Corporate table sponsorships with priority seating are also available. Admission to the Expo only, open from 10 am to 7 pm, is $5. More complete information on exhibit space and luncheon reservations is available at www.chattanoogaecoexpo.com.

Since its founding in 2009, the Eco Expo has been presented by Brewer Media, serving Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia with five radio formats, a traffic network on 15 radio stations and 3 television stations, an alternative weekly newspaper, video production services, and a growing portfolio of custom websites designed to reach distinct market segments.