Green Cities is a conference based on increasing sustainability and profitability in businesses and government agencies by helping set achievable goals that have been proven to help green businesses succeed. The conference, typically held over 2 days, features key speakers in the realm of sustainability, including Mike Italiano, Dr. Brian Nattrass, Gil Friend, and Jerome Ringo. The overall focus of the event is to bring businesses and municipalities together to achieve green goals to save the planet, increase profits, and to qualify for possible federal funding.
There are three Green Cities Events Scheduled this year. Although the Green Cities Event in Huntsville Alabama (On May 11th) is only one day long, the other two events in Orlando (May 20th and 21st) and New York(October 2009) are split into two days with different themes. The first day is the education day, where industry leading speakers and authoritative training courses seek to enrich the knowledge of attendees with a firm understanding of sustainability and its pragmatic applications.
The speakers at Green Cities are all experts in their respective fields. Here are a few you might see in a Green Cities event near you:
Jerome Ringo - Jerome Ringo has been an advocate for clean energy and environmental justice throughout his career in the petrochemical industry. A 20 year veteran of Louisiana's oil-based industry, Ringo observed the negative impacts of the petrochemical industry's pollution on local communities, especially more poverty-stricken minority communities. His experience with organizing labor unions made it simple for Ringo to transition into organizing movements, bringing solutions to the table for America's energy crisis. Ringo is the first African-American to head a major conservation organization (National Wildlife Federation), and Ringo also served as a member of Al Gore's Climate Advisory Panel. Through his achievements, he has been lauded by Senator Hillary Clinton and Governor Bill Richardson as one of the most interesting environmental leaders in the United States.
Mike Italiano - Mike Italiano has been a leader in creating useful metrics for the evaluation of a company's environmental impact and transparency to the end consumer. As the founder of the US Green Building Council, The Committee E50 on Environmental Assessment, and the Director of the Sustainable Furniture Council, Mike Italiano is no stranger to identifying meaningful environmental assessment metrics. According to Green Cities, Mike Italiano will be giving talks and presentations on SMaRT and LEED certification at Green Cities to demonstrate how legitimate, transparent green certifications can bring fresh ideas to your workplace and help your business adapt to this emerging market.
After attending the presentations and training courses of the first day, the second day is dedicated to round table discussion. Guests will be allowed to meet with the same experts and ask personalized questions that apply directly to their business. Green Cities says they offer attendees the ability to network with other eco-aware business people and government entities in their local area. Their objective, they say, is to help attendees to discover growth opportunities that could bring their company to new plateaus of profitability. A major aspect of Green Cities will be connecting businesses with synergistic government programs and federal funding to evenly distribute the task of creating a sustainable market between the pubic and private sectors, according to Taylor Huff, the ambassador of Green Cities Florida.
Green Cities states that the Florida event is focused on the best practices to save money, conserve resources, and balance the economy. There will be a panel discussion highlighting Florida's share of the stimulus package, and the best ways for Florida governments and businesses to utilize these funds, as well as an extensive showcase of sustainable products and services local to Florida.
At 9AM on may 20th, there will be a ribbon cutting on the top of the Orange County Convention Center and the official "Flipping the Switch" for the new 1 MW Solar electric system atop the Orange County Convention Center. This will be the largest installation of its kind in the Southeast US, and one of the largest outside of California and the Pacific Northwest. This installation was installed with the help of a $1.8 million grant from the state of Florida, an example of the kind of partnerships that Green Cities Florida advocates.
Green Cities New York will be held in Manhattan and moderated by industry notables including Steve Cochran and Mike Italiano. Steve Cochran is best known for his work in the National Center for Sustainability and Sustainability Strategies, LLC and has extensive experience in implementing sustainability in schools, governments, and the public sector.
Much of Green Cities New York will pertain to Wall Street's Sustainable Investment Initiative Standard, which is said to cover over 70% of global economic activity. With cap-and-trade legislation looming on the horizon, understanding how a carbon economy could change the way businesses interact with local and federal government may be crucial to growing businesses. According to the Green Cities website, special attention will also be given to Green Building Financing & Investment.
The national Green Cities tour will kick off in Huntsville, AL and function as an educational conference that would include tracks that address popular concerns, including investments in green buildings and materials, workforce development, conservation, and alternative transportation methods. For more information, visit the official Green Cities Website.
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