Conference at Grand Valley focuses on green cities

State and local leaders who are committed to creating sustainable communities will join Grand Valley State University officials for a two-day conference, "Future Cities/Green Town Grand Rapids 2010."

The conference will be held Thursday and Friday, September 9-10, at Grand Valley's Eberhard Center. Future Cities/Green Towns is hosted and sponsored by the Michigan Municipal League, Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic Growth, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment, City of Grand Rapids, ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, GVSU, Wege Foundation and Kellogg Foundation.

The agenda for the conference includes presentations on the future of energy in West Michigan, climate mitigation strategies for cities, panel discussions and keynote addresses. Keynote speakers include Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell, MDNRE Director Rebecca Humphries and Martin Chavez, executive director of the ICLEI, the international association of local governments dedicated to climate protection. Grand Valley President Thomas J. Haas will provide welcoming remarks.

Details about the conference are online at www.greentownconference.com and click on "Agenda."

In conjunction with the conference, the West Michigan Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council will host a tour of the area's green buildings, September 10-11. There are more than 120 LEED certified buildings in West Michigan.

The tours are broken into nonprofit buildings, LEED homes, K-12 facilities, health care facilities, higher education facilities, and others. Information, including an online book that details each building, is online at www.usgbcwm.org and click on the "Green Buildings of West Michigan Tour."