2008 Sierra Solutions Presentations

The Sierra Business Council and Sierra Nevada Conservancy hosted the Sierra Solutions Conference October 3-4. Over 200 members gathered from across California to share insights and learn from leaders in housing, sustainable development, carbon sequestration, and sound energy policies and practices. Click on the links below for presentations from our speakers.

Connecting people, land, and communities

Seeing the Carbon for the Trees: Forest Conservation & Climate Policy

• Sierra Nevada Carbon Cooperative [PDF] by Betony Jones, SBC Director of Program Development
• California’s Climate Policy Vision and TNC Initiatives [PDF] by Michelle Passero, Senior Climate Policy Advisor to The Nature Conservancy

Energy Efficiency: Not Just New Light Bulbs Low Impact Development Strategies

• Motherlode Energy Watch [PDF] by Jim Doolittle
• Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative [PDF] by Rachel McMahon, Director of Regulatory Affairs, Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies
• San Jose's Green Vision [PDF] by Mary Tucker, Energy Program Manager Environmental Services Department, City of San Jose
• Moving to a Greener Tomorrow, [PDF] by Charles Segerstrom, Supervisor, Energy Training Center, Workforce Education and Training, and Codes and Standards, PG&E

Low Impact Development Strategies: Mother Nature Knows Best 

• Sierra Nevada Alliance: Low Impact Development Strategies [PDF] by Patricia Hickson, Land Use Associate for the Sierra Nevada Alliance
• LID at Lahontan Golf Club [PDF] by Kevin Breen, Lahontan Golf Club Superintendent
• LID Introduction [PDF] Eric Bernsten, State Water Resources Control Board

Waste Management Strategies to Address Climate Change

• Strategies in the Climate Change Scoping Plan [PDF] Brenda Smyth, Division Chief, Statewide Technical & Analytical Resources, California Integrated Waste Management Board

Inspiring Civic Engagement

• Common Ground: Consensus and a Sense of Place in the Eastern Sierra
   [PDF] Stacy Corless, Editor in Chief, Eastside Magazine

Think Local First: Re-Localizing Our Communities

• Supporting Local Living Economies in the Sierra Nevada [PDF] by Nikki Streegan, Mary Canada, and Leah Seagrave, SBC's Sierra Nevada Local First Project Managers

Investing in Youth: Leadership, Empowerment & Engagement 

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

• Built Environment Largely Unchanged; Economy in Decline [PDF] by Darren Dinsmore, Regional Planning Partners
• Kings Beach: Housing Now [PDF] by Meea Kang, President, Domus Development, LLC
• Mammoth Lake Affordable Housing [PDF] by Pam Hennarty, Mammoth Lakes Housing

Old-School Fuels: Linking Forest Health & Regional Prosperity 

• Fuels for Schools and Beyond [PDF] by Dave Atkins, Program Manager for Fuels for Schools, USFS
• Collaborative Stewardship Contracting [PDF] by Marcus Kauffman, Resource Innovations, University of Oregon
• Woody Biomass Utilization [PDF] by Gareth Mayhead, Academic Coordinator - Forest Products, University of California Berkeley

Building Collaborative Leadership 

Renewable Energy & Land Use: Coordinating Two Green Solutions 

• Sustainability at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. [PDF] by Cheri Chastain, Environmental Sustainability Coordinator for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Closing Plenary & Keynote Session