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2010 ECODISTRICTS SUMMIT KEYNOTE SPEAKER ANNOUNCED

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

2010 ECODISTRICTS SUMMIT KEYNOTE SPEAKER ANNOUNCED

 

John Knott, President and Founder of the Noisette Company Headlines 3-Day Summit

 

October 25-27, 2010

 

October 12, 2010 (Portland, Oregon)Portland Sustainability Institute is honored to announce John Knott, President and Co-Founder of the Noisette Company, as Keynote for the 2010 EcoDistricts Summit at 7:30 p.m. on October 26th at PSU Smith Center Ballroom. Additionally, Kevin Hydes, President of Integral Group and former chair of the US Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council, will give opening remarks at the Summit on October 25th, 2010. The EcoDistricts keynote speech is free and open to the public. For more information on additional events, visit www.ecodistrictssummit.com.

 

A highly esteemed member of the sustainable building and planning community, Knott will headline a diverse and accomplished roster of speakers at the three-day summit, held at Portland State University, October 25-27, 2010. His organization, the Noisette Company, leads groundbreaking redevelopment work in North Charleston, South Carolina.

 

The Noisette Project is one of the best case studies of sustainable, district-level redevelopment in the United States. Taking into account the social needs, environmental responsibility and economic vitality of the Noisette Communityformerly a deteriorating area, encompassing 3,000 acres of former naval yards in North Charlestons historic urban corethe Project has worked to uplift the neighborhood beyond mere structural renovation and environmentally friendly infrastructure.

 

Under Knotts leadership, additional focus was placed on addressing equity in equal proportion to environmental and economic concerns, using innovative policies and programs to meet this goal. Notable successful programs include neighborhood involvement in defining the scope and plan for the Noisette Project, job training integrated through well-supported non-profits, a pilot prisoner re-entry program (Lowcountry Civic Justice Corps) and several social justice initiatives.

 

As the 2010 keynote speaker, Knott, who is an outspoken advocate of leveraging the power of neighborhoods to catalyze positive change, reinforces equity as a key topic of dialogue at the 2010 EcoDistricts Summit. The EcoDistricts Summit also features equity proponents Twana Hall-Scott, Assistant Director and Outreach Manager of Kansas City Green Impact Zonea nationally recognized non-profit focused on concentrating and integrating resources to enact drastic and comprehensive neighborhood-level transformationand Alan Hipólito, Executive Director of Verdea Portland non-profit that connects low-income people and people of color with the economic benefits of protecting the environment through social enterprise and outreach.

 

About EcoDistricts Summit 2010 The EcoDistricts Summit is a three-day forum designed to complement PoSIs and the City of Portlands EcoDistricts Initiative and catalyze the conversation on Portlands sustainable development at the district scale. The EcoDistricts Summit will also serve to enhance existing dialogue on integrated performance assessment; neighborhood leadership; green building, infrastructure, and behavior practices to reduce resource consumption; new sources and structures for project finance; and green neighborhood ratings.

 

The Summit will take place on October 25-27, 2010 at Portland State University's Smith Center (3rd Floor) located at 1825 SW Broadway in Portland, Oregon. The Summit includes 20 sessions covering topics ranging from district energy to community wellness to comprehensive city and district strategies from throughout North America and abroad. Trainings and tours round out the conference on Wednesday, October 27. Early-bird tickets for the EcoDistricts Summit are available until October 15: $250 for full admission, $200 for the public sector and nonprofits, and $100 for students (limited availability). After October 15, ticket prices will rise by $25. Register online at http://www.ecodistrictssummit.com or call 503.226.2377.

 

About Portland Sustainability Institute (PoSI) The Portland Sustainability Institute was founded in 2009 to systematically bring together business, higher education, non-profit and municipal leaders to drive a set of next-generation initiatives for urban sustainability in the Portland metro region. PoSI works to implement big and game changing ideas that weave together community livability, ecological resiliency and broad-based prosperity. The results will fuel business and policy innovation, enhance quality of life, and create cities and neighborhoods that are not just sustainable, but restorative.

 

About the EcoDistricts Initiative The EcoDistricts Initiative is a path breaking strategy to accelerate district or neighborhood scale sustainable development. It aims to create more sustainable neighborhoods through catalytic projects at the intersection of buildings, infrastructure and people. The Portland Sustainability Institute launched the EcoDistricts Initiative in 2009, in partnership with the City of Portland, to drive next generation urban sustainability innovation that creates economic development and community prosperity.

 

Five Portland pilot districts (Lloyd District, Portland State University, Gateway, Lents and South Waterfront) will be testing the EcoDistricts approach to create centers of sustainable experimentation and innovation. They will also serve as learning opportunities and case studies for the Cityand other municipalities worldwideto maximize Portlands efforts to achieve a greener + healthier metropolitan area.

 

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For more information on the EcoDistricts Summit, please visit: www.ecodistrictssummit.com or email [email protected]

 

Additional Resources:

 

The Noisette Project: http://www.noisettesc.org

 

Integral Group: http://www.integralgroup.com/

 

Kansas City Green Impact Zone: http://www.greenimpactzone.org/

 

Verde: http://www.verdenw.org

 

For information on Portland Sustainability Institute, visit: www.pdxinstitute.org Follow Portland Sustainability Institute on Twitter: @PDXInstitute

 

Follow EcoDistricts Summit on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ecodistrictssummit

 

Media Contact:

 

Sue Van Brocklin/Carolyn Burleigh 503.241.1124 | [email protected] or [email protected]