7 last-minute reasons to go to Greentopia’s Futures Summit Oct. 21

by | Tuesday, October 20, 2015 | Greentopia

You’ve heard about the dynamite keynote speakers and, undoubtedly, about the unveiling of a new film about the Garden Aerial, Greentopia’s capital project surrounding the High Falls. But if those attractions haven’t persuaded you to sign up yet for the Futures Summit, here are a few more in the form of distinguished panelists:
Ted Trabue – A fourth-generation Washingtonian, Trabue is managing director of the District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility. His 30 years in public affairs, include working as executive director of the Green Builders Council of the District of Columbia and two terms as president of the DC State Board of Education.
Rebecca Salminen Witt — Witt is president of The Greening of Detroit, a 25 year old non-profit environmental organization that works to secure the ecosystem of Detroit, Michigan by coordinating tree plantings, supporting community gardening, providing outdoor education to Detroit schoolchildren and sponsoring green jobs training programs for teenagers and adults.
Susan Spencer – A Rochester native from a Kodak family, Spencer was earning her PhD from Rochester Institute of Technology when she decided to focus on affordable solar power. She founded ROCSPOT to create a solar-powered Rochester, and is a player in national and international solar policy discussions.
M. Andre Primus – Another Rochesterian, Primus has created RocShare, an organization to promote alternative economics such as sharing.
Svante L. Myrick – Ithaca’s youngest mayor and first one of color, Myrick first held political office at age 20, when he was still a student at Cornell University. He was elected mayor when he was 24 and quickly restructured the city government to close a $3 million deficit. He turned the mayor’s parking spot into a mini-park and has renovated Ithaca’s long-neglected pedestrian mall.
Jessica Millman – An expert in urban planning, environmentally sustainable development and smart growth, Millman is a founding member of the LEED for Neighborhood Development Core Committee in the Washington, DC, region. She works on a national level on sustainable neighborhoods and is a leader of the National Resource Defense Council’s Green Neighborhoods Program.
Naomi Davis — Davis teaches a three-semester course in Grannynomics and Green-Village Building at the University of Chicago/Center for the Study of Race, Politics, and Culture. Her heritage as the granddaughter of Mississippi sharecroppers informs her expertise in urban homestead, and mixed-use real estate development. She also is founder and CEO of BIG (Blacks In Green,) a self-sustaining economic development organization in Woodlawn, IL.

7 reasons you must attend Greentopia’s Futures Summit Oct. 21

by | Tuesday, September 1, 2015 | Futures Summit, Greentopia, Michael Philipson

Greentopia’s Futures Summit, where exciting ideas for the future are discussed today, comes to MCC’s Brighton Campus Wednesday, Oct. 21. “We want to disrupt people’s thinking – get them to critically analyze everything that is happening in our city,” said Michael Philipson, co-founder of Greentopia. Here are some great reasons to get involved and get informed about “Cities of the Future,” the 2015 Summit’s theme:

  • It’s dirt cheap: Thanks to support from NYSERDA, the summit is free to students and educators with ID, $20 for senior citizens. Regular admission is $45, $55 for last minute arrivals. Admission includes keynote talks and workshops by leading national thinkers on urban reclamation, energy and green development. There’s also free parking, continental breakfast, lunch and snacks. You can register here.
  • Jason Roberts of Dallas, co-creator of Team Better Block, which finds ways to make city blocks more livable and walkable without years of municipal foot-dragging. He’s the opening keynote speaker.
  • Antwi A. Akom, professor at San Francisco State University and co-founder of Institute for Sustainable Economic, Educational and Environmental Design. ISEEED focuses on building sustainable cities and schools, as well as improving living conditions of poor people. Akom is also the summit’s closing keynote speaker.
  • Taras Grescoe, Montreal author of Straphanger, a book looking at the public transit systems of the great cities of the world and advocating for a rebirth of public transit to take back cities from the wasting influence of automobiles. Grescoe is the summit’s lunchtime keynote speaker.
  • Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of The Greening of Detroit, which reclaims forsaken green spaces in the Midwest city to encourage community connections. Once devoted to boosting the urban forest (17,000 trees planted,) the organization now also oversees community gardens and workforce development, with 400 seasonal employees.
  • Ted Trabue, managing director of District of Columbia Sustainable Energy Utility, a utility company devoted to saving customers money through energy conservation. Previously, Trabue help create and was executive director of Green Builders Council of DC, the largest green training program in Washington.
  • Several other speakers and plenty of time between sessions to rub elbows with them all.