PRESS RELEASE
March 26, 2015
Event: The fifth Massachusetts Sustainable Communities Conference and the fourth Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference connects stakeholders from government, grassroots, education, and business to promote best practices. The event will be April 16 at the Devens Common Center. Details are available at www.MaSustainableCommunities.com.
Massachusetts Sustainable Communities and Campuses
April 16, Devens
Devens, MA – Massachusetts continues to advance sustainability at every level. From grassroots to government, education to business, future-minded individuals and groups not only implement, they initiate, and innovate. And, most importantly, they share ideas and resources.
Campuses and communities will be sharing best practices when local and state leaders come together at thefifth Massachusetts Sustainable Communities Conference and the fourth Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference on Thursday, April 16, at the Devens Common Center.
“This conference brings together people from rural, suburban, and urban communities, and from small and large campuses across the state,” says conference director Jen Boudrie. “This year our theme, The Pursuit of Sustainable Living, focuses on large scale accomplishments – solar installations, community farms, net-zero-energy-home neighborhoods, multi-modal transportation, and more,”
Keynote speakers at the one day event will include: Peter Lowitt, Director, Land Use Administration, Devens Enterprise Commission; Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford; Alex Morse, Mayor of Holyoke; Dan Rivera, Mayor of Lawrence; and Catherine Tumber, Senior Research Associate, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University; Author: Small, Gritty, and Green; The Promise of America’s Smaller Cities in a Low-Carbon World.
Sustainability solutions are expanding statewide. Twenty-four workshops will be led by recognized experts: Chris Mason, Energy and Sustainability Officer, Northampton; Shirley Mark, Director of Community Partnerships, Tufts University; Julie Rawson, Executive Director, Northeast Organic Farming Association; Lesly Medina, Community Programs Director, Groundwork Lawrence; Grey Lee, Executive Director, US Green Building Council in Massachusetts; and Joshua Ostroff, Outreach Director, Transportation for Massachusetts to name a few.
“This conference is an opportunity to engage in conversation with your colleagues, friends, and neighbors. The panels and presentations will highlight visionary projects and people and will remind us that we all need to be heroic in our efforts to heal the planet,” said Susan Jennings, former presenter and director of the Office of Campus and Community Sustainability at UMass Dartmouth.
Conference sponsors include Devens Enterprise Commission, Casella Resource Solutions, Fourth Generation Nursery, National Grid, Princeton Power Systems, and Solar Design Associates.
Conference director Boudrie’s experience in environmental sustainability leadership in her community and her 20-year background in instructional design and college teaching led her to see a clear need to connect people and resources. She creates the conferences with the support of an advisory group and on-site conference team comprised of professionals from government, business, education and communities.
“Each year we hear more and more sustainability success stories from all over the state,” Boudrie says. “Every community and campus in the state has something going on. New Bedford has retrofitted nearly 10,000 street lights with LEDs and is the second only to Honolulu in solar energy production per capita in the US. Northampton has a community farm that sits on 121 acres. A few communities have neighborhoods that produce more energy than they consume over the course of a year.
Speakers this year represent cities and towns across Massachusetts: Amherst, Cambridge, Concord, Devens, Greenfield, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, New Bedford, Northampton, and Shirley.
Campuses include: Cape Cod Community College, Conway School of Landscape Planning and Design, Greenfield Community College, Marlboro College (VT), MIT, Northeastern University, UMass Amherst, UMass Boston, and UMass Lowell.
Exhibitors include: AE Intelligence, Antioch University, Astrum Solar, Casella Resource Solutions, Clark University, Conservation Solutions Corporation, Devens Eco-Efficiency Center, Devens Enterprise Commission, DREAM Collaborative, For Solutions, Fourth Generation Nursery, Good Energy, Great Sky Solar, GXT Green, Landry’s Bicycles, Mansfield Paper, Marlboro College, Massachusetts Department of Agriculture, Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, Mass Energy, National Grid, Nexamp, Next Step Living, New England Solar Hot Water, Northeast Organic Farming Association, Peregrine Group, Planet Aid, Princeton Power, Recharged Solutions, Solar Design Associates, Transition Towns, UMass Center for Rebuilding Sustainable Communities after Disasters, UMass Boston Center for Sustainable Enterprise and Regional Competitiveness, US Green Building Council in Massachusetts, and WeCare Environmental.
Full details about the conference can be found at www.MaSustainableCommunities.com
CONTACT
Jen Boudrie
508-481-0569
jenboudrie@gmail.com.
FAQs
WHAT & WHEN
The fifth Massachusetts Sustainable Communities Conference and fourth Massachusetts Sustainable Campuses Conference, April 16, 2015
WHO & WHY
Stakeholders from local and state government, grassroots, business and education gather to share best practices and resources for sustainability
WHERE
Devens Common Center, Devens, MA
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Peter Lowitt, Director, Land Use Administration, Devens Enterprise Commission
Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford
Alex Morse, Mayor of Holyoke
Dan Rivera, Mayor of Lawrence
Catherine Tumber, Senior Research Associate, School of Public Policy and Urban Affairs, Northeastern University; Author: Small, Gritty, and Green; The Promise of America’s Smaller Cities in a Low-Carbon World
SPEAKERS
Government, grassroots, business, and education experts share their knowledge and experience in 24 sessions. Complete Program: http://masustainablecommunities.com/agenda/complete-program-2105/
SPONSORS
Devens Enterprise Commission
Casella Resource Solutions
Fourth Generation Nursery
National Grid
Princeton Power Systems
Solar Design Associates
WeCare Environmental
PARTICIPANTS
Educators, municipal employees, students, community leaders, business partners – any and all people interested in expanding and learning about sustainability initiatives in communities and on campuses in New England
DETAILS
The $75 entrance fee covers 55 speakers, 35 exhibitors, 24 sessions, lunch, breakfast, and round table discussions. Group and student rates are available. Walk-in registration (if not sold out in advance) is $90. Conference details are at www.MaSustainableCommunities.com.
HOST
Green Workforce Training and Associates includes Jen Boudrie, an instructional designer and sustainable development advocate, with the support of an advisory group and on-site conference team comprised of professionals from government, business, education and communities.
CONTACT
Jen Boudrie
508-481-0569
jenboudrie@gmail.com