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2010 Environmental Summit Happens September 25
Daemen College Hosts 2010 Environmental Summit “This Land is
Your Land: Reclaiming Your Home, Your Neighborhood,
Your Community”
September 7, 2010
Media
Contacts: Mike Andrei
Director-College Relations
(716) 839-8472
mandrei@daemen.edu
Cheryl Bird
Executive Director
Daemen College Center for Sustainable
Communities and Civic Engagement
(716) 839-8489
cbird@daemen.edu
The 6th Annual Daemen College Environmental Summit will take place Saturday, September 25, 2010, in Wick Center on the Daemen campus. The Summit, entitled “This Land is Your Land: Reclaiming Your Home, Your Neighborhood, Your Community,” will begin at 9:00 a.m. with remarks from Aaron Bartley, Executive Director-PUSH Buffalo: “Extreme Home Makeover: the Aftermath.”
The 2010 Environmental Summit is sponsored by the Daemen College Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement; The Knoer Group; and the Erie County Environmental Education Institute. This event is free and open to the public.
“This summit will be focused on strengthening our homes and our neighborhoods, through actions each of us can take to make our communities more sustainable and better places to live,” notes Cheryl Bird, Executive Director of the Daemen College Center for Sustainable Communities and Civic Engagement. “We’ll provide ideas for land use – such as gardens, both decorative and as sources of produce. A neighborhood garden will continue to make our communities more sustainable, leading to better nutrition and less obesity.
“We will also be promoting strengthening our homes through direct actions such as makeovers – both large and small. A home makeover doesn’t have to be all-encompassing to help in revitalizing a neighborhood. Even small actions are valuable, and can help make a difference.”
"We will never be able repay the thousands of volunteers who made our neighborhood a better place to live during Extreme Makeover," said Aaron Bartley, Executive Director of PUSH Buffalo, "But we can use the energy that Western New Yorkers brought here to propel our own revitalization efforts in our neighborhoods. This work will continue at the Daemen College Environmental Summit on September 25."
The Environmental summit will also feature a wide array of workshops, exhibits and networking opportunities. A panel discussion, “Reclaiming Your Neighborhood and Community,” will feature Aaron Bartley, Executive Director-PUSH Buffalo; Michael Gainer, Buffalo ReUse; and Brendan Mehaffey, Executive Director-City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning.
Note: Immediately following the completion of the 2010 Environmental Summit, a Dedication and Plaque Unveiling of the U.S. Green Building Council Gold LEED Award to Daemen will be held in the Daemen College Research & Information Commons, at 1:00 p.m. The Gold LEED Certification – signifying Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is the only such recognition given by the U.S. Green Building Council currently to a Western New York college campus.
2010 Environmental Summit Schedule:
8:30-9:00 AM Registration
9:00-10:00 AM Welcome, Opening Remarks:
“Extreme Home Makeover:
The Aftermath”
Aaron Bartley, Executive Director
PUSH Buffalo
10:00-11:30 AM Exhibits and Networking
10:30-11:30 AM Workshops
11:30-12:30 PM Panel Discussion
Workshops:
Workshop #1 Land Use in Your Neighborhood and Community: Pat Szarpa (WNY Land Conservancy), Alita Stewart (City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning)
Workshop #2 Lead and Radon Awareness: Frank Scarpinato (Erie County Department of Environmental Planning), Tina Preston (Erie County Health Dep’t)
Workshop #3 Building Community through Gardens: Susannah Barton (Grassroots Gardens), Elizabeth Licata (Buffalo Garden Walk)
Discussion Group: “Greening Your Congregation”
Sharon Benz ( Daemen College), Facilitator
Panel Discussion: “Reclaiming Your Neighborhood and Community”
Facilitator: Robert Knoer
Panel Members:
Aaron Bartley, PUSH Buffalo
Michael Gainer, Buffalo ReUse
Brendan Mehaffey, City of Buffalo Office of Strategic Planning
Senior Visit Day