HUDSONVILLE ? The West Michigan Strategic Alliance will host a day-long seminar Oct. 18 at the Pinnacle Center that will examine the steps taken on the path to a greener economy.
The Natural Connections Summit 2007 will take a look at green infrastructure success stories that come from the trails, forests, parks, wetlands, rivers, and agricultural lands that weave throughout the region.
Keynote speaker is Tom Daniels, a professor of City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania?s School of Design. Daniels is author of the book When City and County Collide: Managing Growth in the Metropolitan Fringe.
The afternoon will offer three Breakout Sessions with presentations by regional experts and opportunity for Q&A. Each attendee can choose two of the three sessions to attend.
The Value of Green:
Elaine Sterrett Isely, GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute
Yohannes Hailu, PhD. MSU Land Policy Institute
Learn how different economic valuation models are being used to estimate monetary values for ecosystem services, such as clean air and water, and how these tools can be helpful in shaping land use planning decisions.
Best Practices in Green Infrastructure:
John Scholtz, Director, Ottawa County Parks
Tia Cavender and John Ebers, Metro Health Hospital
Learn from practitioners about local and regional examples of best practices in green infrastructure planning and hear about their successful fundraising strategies.
Agriculture as Green Infrastructure: modern challenges
Denny Heffron, Heffron Farms
Kendra Wills, MSU Extension, Kent County
How do biofuel production, development pressures and purchase of development rights play a role in agriculture today? When is agriculture considered green infrastructure?
To register, click on WM-Alliance.Org.Com
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