2008 Sierra Solutions Conference

Track 1 = Creating Sustainable Communities
Track 2 = The New Rural Economy

Participants are free to move between Tracks throughout the Conference. 

Opening Plenary & Keynote Session: Friday 8:45am-10am

Welcome Address: Rusty Gregory, CEO Mammoth Mountain

Additional Welcome: Rob Clark, Manager at Mammoth Mountain; Steve Frisch, President, Sierra Business Council; Jim Branham, Executive Officer, Sierra Nevada Conservancy

Keynote Address: Lucy Blake, Founder and former President, Sierra Business Council; Jim Mayer, Executive Director, California Forward

Morning Session, Friday, October 3, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm
Concurrent Sessions – Please Choose Track 1 or Track 2

Track 1, Session 1 – Connecting People, Land & Communities

Learn approaches for integrating environmental, economic and social values when engaging in community planning
Moderator: Lucy Blake
Speakers: Paul Hardy, Feather River Land Trust; Tim Beals, Director of Planning and Transportation, Sierra County; Wilfred Nabahe, Lone Pine Paiute, Shoshone Reservation's Environmental Coordinator
Who Should Attend?

• Local Government representatives
• Non-Government Organization representatives
• Agricultural Community
• Resource Industry Community

Track 2, Session 1a – Seeing the Carbon for the Trees: Forest Conservation & Climate Policy

Explore current and future state and federal climate change and forest policies, and describe and discuss ways to help landowners and land managers measure, certify, market, and sell carbon credits from forestland conservation and management in the Sierra Nevada.
Moderator: Chrissy Prestella, Sierra Business Council
Speakers: Betony Jones- Sierra Nevada Carbon Cooperative; Michelle Passero, The Nature Conservancy; Eric Holst, Environmental Defense Fund
Who Should Attend?

• Landowners
• Land trusts / Land managers
• Community Planners

Track 2, Session 1b – Energy Efficiency: Not Just New Light Bulbs Low Impact Development Strategies

Do you suspect your building is using too much energy?  Utility companies, states and local governments are actively investing in ways to reduce energy consumption. Come learn about energy assessments, incentives and lower utility bills.
Moderator: Nancy Richards, Program Director, Sierra Business Council
Speakers: Charles Segerstrom, Supervisor, Energy Training Center, Workforce Education and Training, and Codes and Standards-PG&E; Jim Doolittle-Motherlode Energy Watch Program; Mary Tucker, Energy Program Manager, Office of Sustainability-City of San Jose Environmental Services Department
Who Should Attend?

• Small Business Owners
• Facilities Managers
• Engineers
• Building Contractors
• Anyone who wants to lower their utility bills

Afternoon Sessions & Workshops, Friday October 3
Please choose between 1 ½-hour Sessions  & 3-hour Workshops 

Afternoon Sessions, Friday October 3, 1:30pm-3:00pm
Concurrent sessions - Please choose between Track 1 & 2

Track 1, Session 2 – Low Impact Development Strategies: Mother Nature Knows Best

Participate in an informational session and interactive speaker panel and learn what Low Impact Development means and how it can be implemented to improve the quality of your community and its watershed.
Moderator: Krissy Gilbert, Sierra Business Council
Speakers: Chris White, Balance Hydrologics; Kevin Breen, Lahontan Golf Club Superintendent; Patricia Hickson, Sierra Nevada Alliance; Eric Bernsten, State Water Resources Control Board
Who Should Attend?

• Planners
• Developers
• Realtors
• Environmental Groups
• Government Agencies
• Contractors
• Landscape Superintendents

Track 2, Session 2 – Waste Management Strategies to Address Climate Change

Learn what efforts are being made at the state, regional and local level to combat climate change by enacting innovative and effective waste management strategies.
Moderator: Lisa Isaacs, Environmental Programs Director, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Speakers: Nichole Dorr-Town of Truckee Recycling Coordinator; Tracey Harper-Nevada County Recycling Coordinator; Portia Sinnott, Waste Reduction and Recycling Consultant and Green Mentor, Sonoma County; Brenda Smyth, Division Chief, Statewide Technical & Analytical Resources, California Integrated Waste Management Board
Who Should Attend?

• Town Managers
• Community Planners
• Supervisors
• Non-profit organizations
• Anyone who wants to learn how to divert their waste from landfills

Afternoon Sessions, Friday October 3, 3:15pm-4:45pm
Concurrent sessions - Please choose between Track 1 & 2

Track 1, Session 3 – Inspiring Civic Engagement

Discover new approaches and processes to encourage public involvement-including young people-in philanthropy, volunteerism and decision-making in your community.
Moderator: Kristopher Hansen, Professor of Philosophy and Humanities, Sierra College
Speakers: John Chapman, Board Member, East Bay Community Foundation and Greenbelt Alliance; Catherine Stifter, Community Media Maker, Saving the Sierra; Stacy Corless, Editor in Chief, Eastside Magazine
Who Should Attend?

• Non-profit Representatives
• Media Representatives
• Community Planners
• The Ranching Community
• Grant Foundation Representative
• Those who sit on, or would like to sit on, a Board of Directors

Track 2, Session 3 – Think Local First: Re-Localizing Our Communities

The “Think Local First” Program - Learn more about Sierra Business Council’s “Think Local First” program, developed from a national model set forth by the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies. This program is designed to support locally-owned, independent enterprises and focuses in areas such as retail, arts and music, investing, philanthropy, food, energy, forestry, and waste management.
Moderator: Mary Canada, Sierra Business Council
Speakers: Mary Canada-Sierra Business Council; Nikki Streegan-Sierra Business Council; Leah Seagraves-Sierra Business Council; Community Representative/s from Sierra Nevada Region; Elizabeth Tenney, Planning Commissioner, Mammoth Lakes, CA
Who Should Attend?

• Business Owners
• Media Representatives
• Citizens
• Investors
• Agricultural Professionals
• Waste Management Professionals
• Energy Professionals
• Forest Products Professionals
• Economic Development Professionals

Afternoon Workshops, Friday October 3, 1:30pm-4:45pm
Concurrent Workshops - Please choose workshop A, B, or C

Workshop A – Investing in Youth: Leadership, Empowerment & Engagement

This Stewardship Council Youth Workshop will cover how to involve youth further in our communities; incorporate youth development principles into your program and understand how this is an investment in our communities. 
Moderators: Drew McAdams – Youth Programs, Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council and Steve Hagler – Youth Programs, Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council

Workshop B – Affordable Housing & Green Building: Why Combining These Concepts Makes Sense 

 
Affordable Housing and Green Building: Why Combining these Concepts Makes Sense; Strategies, case studies, support and an interactive exercise for helping your community create sustainable housing for all income levels.
Moderator: Darin Dinsmore, Principal, Dinsmore Sierra
Speakers: Meea Kang-Domus Housing; Pam Hennarty-Mammoth Lakes Housing; Katie McCamant and Chuck Durrett Co-Housing Partners
Who Should Attend?

• Community Planners
• Affordable Housing Advocates
• Green Building Advocates
• Architects
• Designers
• Non-profits

Workshop C – Old-School Fuels: Linking Forest Health & Regional Prosperity 

Discover Biomass Utilization techniques along with value added products and modes for heating with this renewable resource. Stewardship Contracting will also be explored as a vehicle for land management, restoration, and for collaboration between diverse stakeholders towards healthy productive forests. Innovative case studies will be shared with successes, challenges, and modes for implementation. 

Moderator: Betony Jones-Sierra Business Council
Speakers: Marcus Kauffman, Resource Innovations, University of Oregon; Gareth Mayhead, Forest Products, University of California Berkeley; Dave Atkins, Fuels for Schools Program Manager, Missoula Montana
Who Should Attend?

• Building Managers
• Company Environmental Managers
• School Officials
• Resource Managers
• Policy Makers
• Natural resource Professionals
• Loggers and Biomass Contractors
• Interested Businesses and Entrepreneurs
• Investors and Funders
• Economic Development Agencies
• Environmental Organizations
• Conservation groups

Morning Sessions, Saturday, October 4, 9:00am-10:30am
Concurrent Workshops - Please choose between Tracks 1 and 2

Track 1, Session 4 – Building Collaborative Leadership

How can collaborative leadership help you and your community achieve a common vision? This is an interactive presentation providing tools and processes for inspiring citizens to get involved in their communities.
Moderator: Susan Dupre, Global Visions
Speakers: Susan Clark, PhD, Dynamic Competence
Who Should Attend?

• Small Business Owners
• Planning Commissioners
• Town Council Members
• Supervisors
• Community Development Directors
• Community Members

Track 2, Session 4 – Renewable Energy & Land Use: Coordinating Two Green Solutions

Learn about opportunities for renewable energy projects in and around the Sierra Nevada, including potential benefits and challenges faced by communities as they consider such projects. Get introduced to efforts being made at the state level and learn how a renowned Brewing Company has made their operations a model for others to follow.
Moderator: Rick Phelps-High Sierra Energy Foundation
Speakers: Cheri Chastain-Sierra Nevada Brewing Company; Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technology (CEERT) Representative.; Joel Southall, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, Death Valley National Park; Cheryl Belcher, Sierra Cascade Land Trust Council

Who Should Attend?

• Town Planners
• Utility Providers
• Environmental Advocates
• Business Owners
• Land Trusts and Conservation Organizations

Closing Plenary & Keynote Session: Saturday 11:00am-12:30pm

Keynote Address: Engaging Sierra Stakeholders:  Tools for Bridging the Generational Divide
PK Agarwal, Director of Department of Technology Services, State of California

In his light hearted, thought provoking presentation, PK will provide the audience with tools to engage and hand over the legacy of Sierra sustainability efforts to the next generation.

Sierra Nevada Youth Empowerment Program Participant Presentations:  Inspirations for the Future

Closing Words: Jim Branham, Sierra Nevada Conservancy; Steve Frisch, Sierra Business Council