Eco-Metropolis 2004

Subject: Fwd: Eco-Metropolis
Date: 11/5/2004 12:57:20 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: DZias
Reply To: piccedlist@picced.org,

Dear Energy Smart Partners,
Please forward this important conference info to interested parties.
Thanks,
Dean Zias
Energy Smart Communities-----------------Forwarded Message:

Subj: Eco-Metorpolis
Date: 11/4/2004 6:24:56 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: DLevine@gc.cuny.edu
To: DLevine@gc.cuny.edu
Sent from the Internet (Details)

Greetings,

We are extremely excited about your upcoming participation in Eco-Metropolis. Obviously, there is even more of a need than ever before for this and other gatherings like it. We are working hard to ensure that everyone that should or would want to know about this important gathering does. Below is the conference blurb and schedule that we hope you have already sent out but can now send again. We are making another push to encourage you to circulate this widely among your circles. Eco-Metropolis is a totally grassroots initiative, so we hope that you can make another effort to help us build this event. It was conceived of as a vehicle to help celebrate and energize our wondrously diverse eco-community, so its success depends entirely on that community's level of enthusiasm. Please, if you can, help us propagate this notice as well as to post on websites, newsletters, etc.Thank you.
David Levine

Director, Continuing Education & Public Programs

The Graduate Center, CUNY
Eco-Metropolis 2004:
Toward a Green, Just, Sustainable Greater NYCA NY Open Center/ Continuing Education & Public Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY/and Bioneers Conference co-productionat: CUNY Graduate Center, 365 5th Ave, at 34th Ston: November 12, 13 & 14Come discover and celebrate our city and region's wildly creative and diverse eco-activist communities from up the Hudson to the South Bronx to Harlem down to the Lower East Side, from Greenpoint to Sunset Park, from the Gowanus Canal and Newton Creek to Jamaica Bay and the Meadowlands; from environmental justice, water, air, food and bicycle activists to visionary "green" architects, designers, urban planners, entrepreneurs, scientists, artists, engineers, educators and labor leaders. The ideas, initiatives and energy to make our city and region greener, cleaner, saner, fairer, freer and more joyous are here now. Come help make it happen!-Plenary Celebration: Friday, November 12th, 7pmTalks by Anna Lappé and others tba, Native American music, the explosive Middle Eastern percussion of Raquy Danziger, poets including the Bowery Poetry Club's Bob Holman, and more. $10 (or free with full conference ticket)-Workshops and Panels with leading figures from across the spectrum of the NY eco universe, all day Sat. and Sun-10:30am to 5pm

-Mixer/Networking party-Saturday at 5pm. -Extraordinary talks from renowned eco-legends from Bioneers 04 on tape delay
Cost: whole event: $50 (or $75-eco-hero rate-your extra dollars support scholarships);
single day: $25

For complete schedule see below or check http://www.opencenter.org/Eco/

To register contact Continuing Education & Public Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY 212 817-8215
or the NY Open Center 212 219-2527

Friday evening, November 127PM - Plenary Session Opening ceremony Native American music from Franc Menusan organizers' greetings talks by Omar Freilla of the Green Workers' Cooperatives and Sustainable South Bronx; Anna Lappé of the Small Planet Fund; and others tba eco-poetry from Bowery Poetry Club's Bob Holman and Patti Trimble the explosive middle-east percussion of Raquy Danziger Eco-Art slide show and more!

Saturday, November 13Panels:10:30AM to Noon:
An Ecotopian NYC? Gardens and Visionswith David Lutz, executive director of the Neighborhood Open Space CoalitionRebecca Ferguson of the Green Guerrillas andBrian Sahd of the New York Restoration Project;moderated by John Crow of the Brooklyn Bear Community Garden
Communicating Sustainabilitywith Jaimie Cloud, founder of the Sustainability Education Center;Jean Gardner, professor in the Dept. of Architecture at The New School's Parsons School of Design; andGreen Map System founder Wendy Brawer.

Big City Transportationhosted by "E" magazine editor and transportation expert Jim Motavalli;with renowned activist Charles Komanoff (author of The Bicycle Blueprint, Killed By Automobile, and Ending The Oil Age)and Paul S. White, executive director, Transportation Alternatives.

Youth Activism and Eco-Politicswith Sarah Walker of Sustainable Pratt, Pratt Collaboratives and the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG);Irene Shen, Environmental Justice Coordinator of UPROSE;others tba Post Election Analysiswith Michael Tomasky, executive editor of The American Prospect;Marcia Bystryn, executive director of the New York League of Conservation Voters, and others tba;hosted by Anne Hemenway of the National Committee for an Effective Congress (NCEC) and J.P. Harpignies, author of Political Ecosystems

Saturday, 12:30 to 5PM:
On both Saturday and Sunday videotaped plenary addresses from Bioneers 2004 (held October 15-17) will be shown in the recital hall, including:
Terry Tempest Williams
Wanjira Mathai
Amory Lovins
Amy Goodman
John Mohawk
Paul Hawken
Lateefah Simon
LaDonna Redmond
Michael Lerner
Candace Pert
Aqeela Sherrills
Paul Stamets
Jason Clay and
Martha Arguello
Complete biographies of the speakers are available at http://www.bioneers.org/.

Saturday, 1:30 to 3PM:
Protecting Clean Water/Revitalizing the Hudson/Shutting Down Indian Pointwith Carolyn Zolas, chair of the Sierra Club's NYS Watershed Committee and of Clean Water for the Bronx, and on the board of the Croton Watershed Clean Water Coalition (who will also serve as moderator);Lisa Rainwater van Suntum, Riverkeeper's Indian Point outreach coordinator; and Ryan Palmer, Environmental Associate, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Innovative Urban Eco-Techco-sponsored by the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI);hosted by BFI acting executive director Elizabeth Thompson;presentations on:Urban Fish Farming with Martin Schreibman, founder of the Aquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center, biology professor at Brooklyn College and visionary fish farmer now raising over 3000 tilapia on Flatbush Avenue!;An "off the Grid" City? - with a rep. from Verdant Power-a pioneering energy company deploying an underwater turbine system in the East River; andTools for Planning the Sustainable City with Ben Discoe, founder of the V-Terrain project, an expert in GIS, 3-D visualization tools, and other data mapping technologies.

Globalization and Empire;hosted by New York Open Center co-founder Ralph White andNanette Schorr, coordinator for the Task Force on Law and Meaning;others tba

Linking City and Country: CSAs, Farmers' Markets and Food Justicewith Just Foods' City Farms Manager Kathleen McTigue; Brian Schundler, Americorps Vista/ CSA in NYC Associate, and food activist Bryant Terry ("b-healthy")

A Model of Cross-disciplinary Collaboration in Sustainabilityfeaturing the work of Sustainable Pratt, a pioneering group of Pratt department chairs, professors and students working to build a coordinated sustainability curriculum and to develop "green" projects: a model of how an interdisciplinary group can make a university curriculum and surrounding community more sustainable.Hosted by professors Amy Lesen (biology) and Frank Millero (industrial design);with Caleb Crawford, assistant chair of undergraduate architecture;Dean Zias, a renowned Pratt urban planner with 26 years' experience;student environmental leader Sarah Walker; andDebera Johnson, chair of industrial design

Saturday, 3:30 to 5PM
Voluntary Simplicity and Over-consumptionwith NYC Voluntary Simplicity pioneer Mary Barknecht, andStephan Chenault, long time sustainability, community building, social justice and hunger and homelessness activist, former Chair of the Wildlife and Wilderness and Environmental Justice committees of the NYC Sierra Club, founder of the Coalition for Forests and EcoLobby and chair of the Central Brooklyn Chapter of the Neighborhood Energy Network Animals and the Metro-Global Environmentthe intersection of animal rights, social justice movements and environmentalism; animal advocacy within the context of urban, regional, and international conservation efforts,with Martin Rowe, co-founder of Lantern Books; Mia MacDonald, senior fellow of the World Watch Institute; Catherine Clyne, editor of SATYA magazine; Patrick Kwan, founder of the Student Animal Rights Alliance; and Lawrence Carter-Long, NY Director of In Defense of Animals Learning from NY's Indigenous Cultureswith storyteller-artist-musician and educator Franc Menusan; Evan Pritchard, author of Native New Yorkers and No Word for Time, andRoberto Mucaro Borrero of the Museum of Natural History;others tba

The Nature Network (3:30-4:15)Bill Shore, acting chair of the Nature Network, will describe this new major collaboration of the major environmental institutions of our regionTraffic Calming (4:15-5pm)David Lutz of the Neighborhood Open Space Coalition will discuss why traffic calming is a key strategy for creating a sane, livable and cleaner city.
5:15 PM:Mixer, Film/video screenings

Sunday, November 14thPanels:10:30AM to Noon:
Socially Responsible Entrepreneurshipwith Matthew Bernardo, President of Housing Works Thrift Stores; Laurie Lewis of Patagonia; and Mark Caserta of the eco-store, 3R Living, and Omar Freilla, a founding member of Sustainable South Bronx, Chair of the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance and founder of the new Green Worker Cooperatives, dedicated to bringing worker-owned and eco friendly manufacturing jobs to the South Bronx;moderated by Christina Cobb, founder of the progressive and eco PR firm, Free Agency Environmental Educationwith Mike Zamm, Director of Environmental Education, Council on the Environment of NYC; Barry Weinbrom, Director of After School Activity Programs (ASAP);Brian Johnson of the Prospect Park Audubon Center; andShelley Berlincourt, on board educator for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater Environmental Justice with West Harlem Environmental Action (WEACT) program director Cecil Corbin-Mark;Majora J. Carter, founder and executive director of Sustainable South Bronx;ShaKing Alston, executive director of the Environmental Justice Alliance; andSamara F. Swanston, esq, renowned environmental attorney and activist and state chair of the Sierra Club's Environmental Justice Committee Eco-aware Urban Architecture and Designwith Paul Mankiewicz of the Gaia Institute, a pioneering visionary of sustainable urban design;GreenHomeNYC Executive director Cat Fitzgerald; andarchitect Neil Chambers, executive director of Green Ground Zero, dedicated to making NYC and urban areas worldwide more livable and sustainable;hosted by architect and professor of sustainable design at Parsons, David Bergman The Greening of Cuisine: Sustainable Restaurateuringhosted by Hilary Baum; withLeslie McEachern of Angelica Kitchen;chef, writer and activist Sarah Copeland; andHiram Bonner, director of the Community Food Resource Center:come hear about the transformative effect creative, conscious chefs and restaurateurs can have in influencing positive food trends in the larger society

Sunday, 12:30 to 5PM:
On both Saturday and Sunday videotaped plenary addresses from Bioneers 2004 (held October 15-17) will be shown in the recital hall, including:
Terry Tempest Williams
Wanjira Mathai
Amory Lovins
Amy Goodman
John Mohawk
Paul Hawken
Lateefah Simon
LaDonna Redmond
Michael Lerner
Candace Pert
Aqeela Sherrills
Paul Stamets
Jason Clay and
Martha Arguello
Complete biographies of the speakers are available at http://www.bioneers.org/.

Sunday, 1:30 to 3PM:
Urban Wildlifewith E.J. McAdams, NY Audubon Society;Terri Carta, Manager of Community Partnerships and Programs at the Central Park Conservancy; andSara Hobel of the Urban Park Rangers;moderated by Diana Gilchrist, Eco-Metropolis co-producer
Jobs/Development and the Environmentwith Nancy Anderson of the City Comptroller's office,builder/developer Carlton Brown,Jeremy Reiss, Director of Urban Agenda, a joint project of the NYC Central Labor Council and the Queens College Labor Resource Center, andmoderator Eva Hanhardt of the Municipal Art Society Neighborhood Restorationwith architect and waterfront revival activist Owen Foote of the Gowanus Dredgers;Harry J. Bubbins director of the Downtown Bronx Eco Development Corporation;others tba

Eco-Medicinehosted by J.P. Harpignies, co-editor of Ecological Medicine;with research scientist Cynthia Rosenzweig of the Climate Impacts Group at NASA/Goddard Institute for Space Studies;Suzanne Mattei, New York City Executive for the Sierra Clubothers tba

The Nature of New York "Exploring the Nature of New York" is a groundbreaking new course at CUNY that explores the interconnectivity of cultural, economic and ecological forces within New York and how the city's size, density and wealth of resources affect not just natural life in the area but in the entire region and nation. Ornithologist, researcher and CUNY professor David Rosane (and other speakers tba) will discuss how to acquire ecological literacy about the city we live in and an enhanced awareness of its unique natural heritage.

Sunday, 3:30 to 5PM
Getting Environmental Issues on the NYC Electoral Agenda: the Mayoral Race and Beyond with Craig Wilson, Director of NYC Policy and Advocacy of The NY League of Conservation Voters; Ken Baer, Atlantic Chapter Chairperson, Sierra Club; others tba

Energizing New York: Toward Wiser Energy Choices hosted by solar designer Amelia Amon, co-founder of the design organization O2NY and board member of the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association; Dean Zias, of NYSERDA's (NY State Energy Research and Development Authority) Energy Smart Communities Outreach program; Virali Gokaldas, recycling specialist and Urban Research Fellow at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); and leading eco-conscious architect Chris Benedict
NY-area Alt Mediafacilitated by long-time activist, WBAI's Deena Kolbert;with Pamela Peeters of Manhattan Neighborhood Network;Tony Riddle of The Media Foundation;and others tba

Art and the Environmentwith world-renowned visionary artist Alexis Rockman;Ecoartspace co-founder Amy Lipton;curator Linda Weintraub, former Professor of Contemporary Art at Oberlin and director of the museum at Bard and author of Art on the Edge and Over: Searching for Art's Meaning in Contemporary Society; andElizabeth Thompson
Bicycle Power in NYCwith moderator Aaron Naparstek, author of Honku: the Zen Antidote to Road Rage, Karen Overton of Recycle a Bicycle, George Bliss of Pedicabs of NY, Matthew Roth of Times Up! Critical Mass; andNoah Budnick, Projects Director for Transportation Alternatives, and its head bicycle advocate

Admission:$10 - Friday night only$25 - single days$50 - entire event$75 - supporting level: your extra dollars will help provide scholarships to low-income activists
Note: attendees will have to bring their lunch or snacks or purchase food and beverages from CUNY's onsite cafeteria vendor or at a local eatery as there will be no conference-provided food.

Groups and institutions affiliated with speakers (partial list):
"E" magazineThe Buckminster Fuller InstituteGreenHomeNYCGreen Ground ZeroGaia InstituteLapis onlineBowery Poetry ClubSmall Planet FundSustainable South BronxWest Harlem Environmental ActionEnvironmental Justice AllianceDowntown Bronx Eco Development CorporationGreenpoint/Williamsburg Watchperson ProjectGowanus DredgersCentral Labor CouncilMunicipal Art SocietyNeighborhood Open Space CoalitionGreen GuerrillasNY Restoration ProjectBrooklyn Bear Community GardenThe Nature NetworkSustainability Education CenterGreen Map SystemWaterwireMetropolitan Waterfront Alliance: The River ProjectRiverkeeperClearwaterClean Water for the Bronx
Croton Watershed Clean Water CoalitionTask Force on Law and MeaningJust FoodHousing WorksPatagonia3R LivingSustainable PrattPratt Industrial Design DepartmentPratt CollaborativesNYPIRGCentral Park ConservancyUrban Park RangersProspect Park Audubon CenterLantern BooksSatya magazineWorldwatch InstituteStudent Animal Rights AllianceIn Defense of AnimalsThe American ProspectThe Nation InstituteSierra ClubVerdant PowerThe V-Terrain ProjectClimate Impacts Group at NASANYSERDAFree AgencyThe Baum ForumAngelica KitchenAquatic Research and Environmental Assessment Center at Brooklyn CollegeTransportation Alternatives
To register contact
Continuing Education & Public Programs, The Graduate Center, CUNY 212 817-8215 or the
NY Open Center 212 219-2527