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Green Convene conference hopes to build momentum

by Ken Neuhauser
The Courier-Journal
Friday, 21 February 2009

Green Convene Winter 2009 participants will gather this weekend at Glassworks in downtown Louisville. Organizers hope to build an influential and non-partisan coalition to promote strong, effective, sustainable, economical, social and environmental policies in local government. People from elected leadership, industry, academia, neighborhood associations, nonprofit groups, businesses, regulatory agencies, media and faith organizations are participating in the event, which began yesterday and concludes today.

Registration for the convention was closed when it reached maximum capacity. However, a steering committee session from 1:30 to 3 p.m. today is open to all.

The Green Convene is coordinated by an informal steering committee of local volunteers. "Several focus groups will identify three topics, which might include transportation, energy, air and water quality, housing, economy, and local food, for instance. From those focuses, three will be selected," said spokesman Jackie Green, co-owner of Bike Couriers Bike Shops. "We want to pick the three focuses that will have the widest impact on all of the other focuses," he added. "For instance, should they choose transportation as one of the three focuses, they will do so on the argument that transportation impacts energy, land use, air quality, water quality, justice and other issues." The trio of issues that the coalition ultimately chooses will be addressed in the coming months, Green said.

Highlights of the two-day program include Tom FitzGerald, who will discuss "An Argument for the Value of Organizing to Effect Change" this morning.

For more about Green Convene, visit www.greenconvene.org.