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Indiana State Unversity and Our Green Valley Alliance collaborated to bring the tenth GreenTown to Terre Haute on November 16-17, 2011 at University Hall. Dr. Richard Jackson, Chair of the School of Public Health at UCLA, and Mayor Bob Dixson of Greensburg, Kansas, addressed over 300 public and private sector attendees from throughout the Midwest. The afternoon breakout tracks at GreenTown Terre Haute included food and healthy living; community sustainability planning; the built environment – indoors and out; living sustainably; and our energy future.

Below are select presentations that are available for download. If there is a presentation not available here, please contact Bennett Dilly at 312.706.2527 or bdilly@a5inc.com.

Rick Berger, District Manager, Duke Energy
Sustainable Energy for All: Duke Energy Invests for the Future

David Isley, Director of Planning, Bernadin, Lochmueller & Associates, Inc.
Building a Healthier Tri-State Community: How Henderson, Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties are Creating a Healthy, Sustainable Future

Stephane Krull, Facilities Director, Indiana State University
Eat Healthy, Eat Local

GreenTown held its ninth event at Frank Lloyd Wright's Historic Unity Temple in downtown Oak Park, Illinois on October 12, 2011. Mark Fenton, Host of America's Walking on PBS, addressed an audience of over 300 community stakeholders – from mayors and local municipalities to healthy eating advocates and those from local educational organizations. The afternoon breakout tracks at GreenTown Oak Park included healthy eating in the community; healthy eating at home; planning for a physically active community; sustainable communities planning and metrics; green infrastructure and the great outdoors; and a supplemental session featuring alternative energy solutions.

Eric Bjorlin, School Programs Manager, Safe Routes to School, Active Transportation Alliance
Safe Routes to School for the 21st Century: Policies and Impact

Dr. Bechara Choucair, Commissioner, Chicago Department of Health
Healthy Food and Low-Income Families

Amy Talbot, Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
Blue is Green: Water Conservation Strategies and Stormwater Management Policy in Illinois

The eighth GreenTown was held at The Centre of Downtown Elgin on April 28, 2011. Featuring keynotes by Elgin Council Member John Steffen, Author Randall Arendt and Dr. Richard Jackson, Chair of the School of Public Health at UCLA, GreenTown attracted over 250 leaders from the public and private sectors. GreenTown Elgin also featured a variety of afternoon tracks, including sustainability in Elgin and the Fox River Valley; local food, water and waste reduction; green design and build; outdoor spaces; green jobs; energy efficiency and renewables.


Dr. Richard Jackson, Author, Chair of the School of Health at UCLA
Our Shaping of the Environment Shapes Our Health, Wealth and Future

Terry Warriner Ryan, Partner, Jacobs/Ryan Associates
Sustainable Sites Initiative: Connecting the Land to the Building

Josh Ellis, Associate, Metropolitan Planning Council
Before the Well Runs Dry: Ensuring Sustainable Water Supplies in Illinois

Janie Maxwell, Registered Dietician, Making Kane County Fit for Kids
State, County and Regional Initiatives to Promote Healthy Communities

The seventh GreenTown was held at Columbia College in downtown Chicago on October 13-14, 2010. This year's event featured an introduction by Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Environment, and a keynote address by Philippe Cousteau, Activist and Chief Ocean Correspondent, Animal Planet and Planet Green. Afternoon sessions at GreenTown Chicago included presentations on such topics as biocycle; transportation; community design and building; food; green neighborhoods; green infrastructure/energy and green jobs.

Bob Dean, Principal Regional Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning
CMAP Go to 2040 Comprehensive Regional Plan: Strategies for Making It Come Alive in Chicago Area Communities 

Sharon Feigon, Chief Executive Officer, iGo
Leading a Car-Free Life: Public Transit, Car Sharing and More

Catherine Schuster, Director of Economic Development, Village of Lisle
From GreenTown to Green Economy: Translating Sustainability into Economic Development

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The sixth GreenTown was held at Grand Valley State University's Eberhard Center in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, on September 13-14, 2010. GreenTown joined the City of Grand Rapids and the USGBC–West Michigan Chapter to bring Future Cities: Climate Strategies for Sustainable Communities to Grand Rapids, including keynote addresses from Martin Chavez, Executive Director, ICLEI-USA; George Heartwell, Mayor, City of Grand Rapids; Jim Sygo, Deputy Director, Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment; and Doug Farr, Author and Founder, Farr Associates Architecture and Urban Design. Afternoon sessions on Friday included presentations on such topics as climate strategies for sustainable communities; community design and building; healthy food, little waste; and the outdoors.

Arn Boezaart, Director, Michigan Alternative & Renewable Energy Center, Grand Valley State University
How the Future of Wind Energy Reshapes Michigan

Kathryn Colasanti, Academic Specialist, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University; Patty Cantrell, Senior Policy Specialist, Michigan Land Use Institute
Fields, Forks & Futures: How Healthy, Local Food Factors into Development

Dr. Paul Isely, Associate Professor, Economics, Grand Valley State University
The Future of Energy in Western Michigan: How Communities Can Drive Change (CSP Workshop)

Greg Northrup, President, West Michigan Strategic Alliance
Green Infrastructure: Adapting to a Changing Climate

Ben Stehouwer, Real Estate Development Manager, Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF)
LEED for Neighborhood Development


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The fifth GreenTown was held at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, on March 17-18, 2010. GreenTown Lake County featured two keynote presentations by Mayor Bob Dixson of Greensburg, Kansas and Suzanne Malec-McKenna, Commissioner, City of Chicago Department of Environment. Afternoon sessions on Thursday included presentations on such topics as community design and building, food, smart growth, water and waste.

Mike Behm, Vice President, Community Market, Leopardo Companies
Sustainably Challenged: Green Questions Facing Municipalities and Builders in Today's Marketplace

Pete Kadens, President, SoCore Energy
Sun & Wind: The Future of Alternative Energy (Solar presentation)

Tadd Scarpelli, Founder and President, AVA Power, Inc.
Sun & Wind: The Future of Alternative Energy (Wind presentation)

Amy Talbot, Associate Planner, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Implementing a Regional Water Supply / Demand Plan at the Local Level

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The fourth GreenTown: The Future of Community was held at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois on October 14-15, 2009. GreenTown Chicago featured Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s keynote, Mayor Richard M. Daley's Address and the Chicago Climate Action Plan. Nearly 400 individuals were in attendance to learn how to create more sustainable communities.

Steve Bellone, Supervisor, Town of Babylon, New York
Energy Efficient Homes: Creative Financing to Achieve Large Scale Results

Bob Dixson, Mayor, Greensburg, Kansas
Rebuilding Greensburg, Kansas as a Livable, Walkable Community

Dean Kubani, Environmental Programs Division Manager, City of Santa Monica
Greening a Community: Lessons Learned from Santa Monica

Deborah Popely, Associate Director, Delta Institute
Unlocking the Potential of the New Green Economy

Madeleine Weil, Policy Advocate, Environmental Law and Policy Center
Renewable Energy: Preparing Local Communities to Meet Regional Goals

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The third GreenTown: The Future of Community was held at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan on July 22-23, 2009. Speakers from various industries educated those in attendance on an assortment of environmentally-conscious topics.

Below are a select group of presentations that are available for download.

John Connolly, Founder, JF Connolly & Associates
Food Scraps to Compost: Commercial Efforts to Combat Global Warming

Brett Olson, Co-Founder and President, Green Routes and Renewing the Countryside
Eco-Tourism: Greening Tourism for a New Generation of Travel

Mike Hamm, C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University
Michigan Economic Development: Opportunities Through Local, Sustainable Agriculture

Dave Konkle, Energy Office Director, ICLEI
ICLEI - Climate Protection Toolkit for Small Communities

Colleen Matts, Farm to School Specialist, C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems, Michigan State University
Michigan Farm to School

Janet Allen, SNS
Clarkston Schools Farm to School Initiative

Stephen Hamstra, P.E., HBDP, LEED AP, CGD, GMB Architecture + Engineering
Greening the K-12 School System: LEED for Existing Buildings and New Construction

Norman Christopher, Director of Sustainability, Grand Valley State University
Campus Climate Initiatives: Greening The Campus and Combating Climate Issues

Michelle Dyer, MSLS, VIce President, Second Nature
Greening the Campus: How Educational Institutions Combat Climate Issues