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GREEN FOCUS: Cool Things That Are Green
EcoDistrict Summit Topics Call For Proposals Due March 253/09/2011The EcoDistricts Summit is returning to Portland State University on October 26-28, 2011 for three days of deep exploration and learning.
Hosted by the Portland Sustainability Institute, the EcoDistricts Summit is the premier annual conference dedicated to neighborhood-scale sustainability innovation. The Summit brings together leading professionals and thought leaders from across North America and beyond, providing a forum to share best practices across a growing number of neighborhood sustainability projects.
“Portland has a long history of innovation in urban sustainability. The EcoDistricts Initiative is creating a living lab of innovation to test and institutionalize a range of best practices from district energy to green streets and behavior and choice,” says Rob Bennett, Executive Director of the Portland Sustainability Institute. “The Summit is an important part of our overall effort to learn from and connect with global professionals and policymakers.”
“District-scale projects are suddenly springing up all over the country,” says Llewellyn Wells, president and founder of Denver’s Living City Block. “This is of course great news, but the danger is we won’t share the lessons we learn across the different projects. The EcoDistricts Summit allows us to get together, share ideas, learn from each other and create new partnerships, so I think it’s absolutely essential for events like this to happen.”
A Call for Proposals has been released to solicit speakers and topics for the Summit’s program in 2011. Six tracks of sessions will cover the topics of engagement, planning & assessment, buildings, infrastructure, behavior & choices, and innovation. Proposals are due March 25.
“We are delighted to partner with the Portland Sustainability Institute in hosting the Summit for the third consecutive year,” says Mark Gregory, Associate Vice President of Finance and Administration at Portland State University. “Not only is PSU one of Portland’s EcoDistrict pilots, but EcoDistricts are also the subject for a growing amount of academic research here at PSU.”
Online registration for the EcoDistricts Summit 2011 will open in early March.
About PoSI
The Portland Sustainability Institute (PoSI) develops next-generation sustainability solutions for cities. PoSI was founded in 2009 to systematically bring together business, higher education, nonprofit and municipal leaders to drive a set of catalytic initiatives for urban sustainability in the Portland metro region. PoSI works to implement big and game changing ideas that weave together community livability, ecological resiliency and broad-based prosperity. The results will fuel business and policy innovation, enhance quality of life, and create cities and neighborhoods that are not just sustainable, but restorative.
About The EcoDistricts Initiative
An EcoDistrict is a neighborhood committed to sustainability that contains the key ingredients of empowered people, green buildings and smart infrastructure. In 2009, the Portland Sustainability Institute launched an ambitious EcoDistrict pilot program in the Portland metro region in partnership with the City of Portland, Portland State University and other key public and private sector partners. To support widespread EcoDistrict market transformation, PoSI has created standardized criteria, tools, and training and is partnering with leading global cities to build capacity and share best practices. To learn more about the EcoDistricts Initiative, visit: http://pdxinstitute.org/index.php/whatwedo/ecodistricts
Image from Portland Architecture
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