In 2013, the Building Enclosure Sustainability Symposium (BESS) will be partnering with the International Initiative for a Sustainable Built Environment (iiSBE) to host the first regional Sustainable Buildings (SB) conference series in the U.S. to become BESS-SB13 CALIFORNIA: Advancing Toward Net Zero. BESS-SB13 CALIFORNIA: Advancing Toward Net Zero will provide a forum for sharing state-of-the-art knowledge in the design and advancement toward net zero buildings focusing on six major topics: innovative design, improving existing building stock, validation, affordability, user control, and education.