Community development corporations (CDCs), community-based organizations (CBOs), universities, private developers and public agencies can enhance their missions and effectiveness by incorporating the following sustainable development principles into their programs and practices:

Promote Vibrant and Diverse Communities
* Support economic self-sufficiency and strong local economies
* Maximize fairness and efficiency in distribution of resources
* Promote democratic decision-making and civic engagement among diverse groups

Work Within Nature's Limits
* Use resources efficiently and productively
* Minimize use of fossil fuels and toxic materials
* Protect and restore ecosystems

This year's Fourth Annual Regional Sustainable Development Forum will focus on the "Resources for Achieving Sustainable Development." After three yearly forums, it is evident that many participants are knowledgeable about the basics of sustainability, eager to participate in more in-depth conversations on the topic, and want to identify resources to carry out their sustainable development projects. Given the challenging funding climate, practitioners and policymakers need to begin thinking outside the box when it comes to resources and become more creative about how to leverage them to achieve success.

"Resources" will be defined as academic, financial, technical, civic, and political knowledge and support that can assist in advancing sustainable projects of all kinds. This year, the forum will be divided into three tracks based on community scale: Local/City, Regional/State, and National/International - each highlighting case studies as catalysts for discussions. The workshops will strongly emphasize audience participation with over an hour of open discussion in each 2 hour session. These interactive discussions will allow participants to maximize the "resources" present in the room as well as explore additional ones. There will also be poster sessions where attendees can browse programs and services available for supporting sustainable development.

Emphasizing community and peer-to-peer learning, the forum will accommodate newcomers to sustainable development by holding a "Sustainability 101" workshop. This approach will allow for participants of all levels of experience with sustainable development to join in the interactive workshops planned throughout the day.

Purpose of the Forum:
· To identify the resources available for sustainable development
· To educate about how to integrate sustainable development principles and techniques into development planning and implementation.
· To demonstrate successful projects through case studies and discussion of "how-to's."
· To network and increase access to technical assistance and funding resources.
· To make it easier for CDCs, CBOs universities, private developers, and public agencies to promote and implement environmentally responsible projects.

Desired Forum Outcomes:
· Access to technical assistance and funding resources.
· Heightened awareness of how sustainable development principles can be applied.
· Know-how about implementation of sustainable development projects.
· Understanding of the costs and benefits associated with sustainable development.
· Platform for ongoing dialogue and networking.

Date, Time, Place and Fee:
· Monday, September 22, 2003
· 8:00 AM-5:30 PM
· Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Room 10-250, Cambridge, MA
· $50/person for Non-Profits, Government, Students; $90/person all others

Forum Schedule:
8am Registration
8:30-9:00 Opening Remarks
9:00-10:00 Keynote Address:
Cynthia M. Duncan, Director of Community and Resource Development, Ford Foundation

10:15-12:15 Breakout Sessions:

Workshop A: "Sustainability 101: Learn the Basics & How to Apply These Ideas to Your Challenges"
· Facilitator: Paul Lipke, Sustainable Step New England

This workshop will be an opportunity for forum participants it to brush up on what sustainable development is and how to put it into practice. The goal is to give the participants enough of an understanding of sustainability to be able to fully participate in the afternoon workshops.

Workshop B: "Small City Sustainability Approaches"
· Case Study 1: City of Springfield Pilot EPA Project - Katie Galluzzo, City of Springfield Planning Department
· Case Study 2: Sustainable Arlington - Ryan Katofsky, Chris Granda, Sustainable Arlington
· Facilitator: Beth Tener, Sustainable Step New England

How is sustainable development practiced in smaller cities in our region? This workshop highlights projects in two Massachusetts cities that have helped move them towards sustainability. The first presentation will be on the design and construction of a new, green community center for the north end of Springfield, a neighborhood which hosts the poorest census tract in Massachusetts. The second presentation will highlight the work of Sustainable Arlington in their effort to help Arlington, MA officials adopt green design standards for town projects.

Workshop C: "Incorporating Green Resources into Your Building Project"
· Case Study 1: Green Schools - Doug Sacra, HMFH Architects
· Case Study 2: BuildingGreen Resources - Jim Newman, BuildingGreen, Inc.
· Facilitator: Sally Edwards, Environmental Consultant, Devens Enterprise Commission

In this workshop, HMFH Architects, Inc., will present a case study on the Capuano Early Childhood Center in Somerville, MA, the first U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) registered public school in New England and one of the first schools to be completed under the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative's Green Schools program. Also presenting, BuildingGreen, Inc. will provide an overview of the tools and resources that are available to help with the process of designing and building sustainable buildings. From defining green design strategies and managing an integrated team, to specifying products and processes to contractors, there are resources out there that can be very helpful. The presentation will focus on the most useful of the available resources, defining how and when they can be most valuable to the different members of the development team.

Workshop D: "Community Measures of Sustainable Progress"
· Case Study 1: Burlington Legacy Project - Betsy Rosenbluth, Burlington Legacy Project
· Case Study 2: Cape Cod Sustainable Indicators - Tana Watt, Cape Cod Commission
· Facilitator: Gay Wells, MA Office of Business Development

Panelists in this workshop will explore different techniques for measuring and ensuring progress towards sustainability goals. A presentation will be made on the 2003 Cape Cod Indicators Report which contains 15 inter-related indicators focusing on issues that are specific to Cape Cod in the areas of a Safe and Nurturing Social Environment, a Healthy Natural Environment, and a Thriving, Diverse and Sustainable Economy. Burlington, Vermont's Legacy Project will also be presented. The Legacy Project is a joint effort by the City of Burlington and the Institute for Sustainable Communities to help preserve those qualities that citizens cherish most about the city and to identify issues and trends that must be addressed to improve the quality of life for every resident by creating a sustainable comprehensive plan.

12:30-1:30 Lunch / Networking and Poster Sessions
1:45-3:45 Afternoon Sessions

Workshop E: "Local Brownfields Redevelopment"
· Case Study 1: Grove Hall and Dorchester Bay EDC Project - Robin Moody, AIG Environmental
· Case Study 2: Fleet Bank Project - Rebecca Regan, Fleet Boston Community Banking Group
· Facilitator: Bill Shutkin, New Ecology, Inc.

Private sector leadership, expertise, and capital resources are critical to solving some of our most difficult urban redevelopment challenges, especially when costly environmental cleanups are an issue. This workshop will highlight several examples of model brownfields redevelopment projects in the Boston area in which banking, insurance and other firms joined with community and public institutions to achieve significant environmental and economic development results.

Workshop F: "Sustainable Neighborhood Redevelopment"
· Case Study 1: Gordon Avenue Incubator and CleanScape, Inc. - Joe Newsome, South Providence Development Corporation
· Case Study 2: Inner-City Sustainability Projects, Minneapolis, MN - Michael Krause, Green Institute
· Facilitator: Stella Tarnay, Tarnay & Associates

This session will highlight the work of two forward-thinking community development corporations, the South Providence Development Corporation (SPDC) and the Green Institute. SPDC's presentation will focus on their projects, the Gordon Avenue Incubator, a newly renovated green building that houses a small business incubator, and CleanScape, a for-profit recycling and landscape company that has cleaned up dozen of vacant lots, employed more than 65 community residents, and processed tons of recyclable material. The Green Institute, a non-profit entrepreneurial environmental organization in Minneapolis that restores the urban environment and creates economic opportunities through sustainable community development, is developing a 15 megawatt combined heat and power biomass facility fueled by clean, urban wood waste. The Institute is also developing a number of solar technology applications and in 2002 formed the Phillips Community Energy Cooperative, the first new energy utility in Minnesota in 50 years.

Workshop G: "Incentivizing Green Business"
· Case Study 1: Franklin County Food Processing Center - John Waite, Franklin County Community Development Corporation
· Case Study 2: Devens Enterprise Commission - Peter Lowitt, Devens Enterprise Commission
· Facilitator: Kit Perkins, New Ecology, Inc.

This workshop will present the work of the Franklin County CDC's Food Processing Center and give participants the opportunity to check in on the former Fort Devens and learn about its progress on the road toward sustainability. The Food Processing Center is a shared-use, commercial kitchen facility where local culinary entrepreneurs can practice their trade using locally-grown produce. The Devens presentation will focus on their EcoStar initiative, an environmental branding and certification program under development by the Devens Enterprise Commission and a coalition of business and environmental interests in this region of north central Massachusetts.

Workshop H: "Creating Sustainable Communities Through Public Participation"
· Case Study 1: EcoTeam/Neighborhood Plan - David Gershon, Empowerment Institute
· Case Study 2: Community Sustainability Sweden - Sarah James, Sarah James and Associates
· Facilitator: Julian Agyeman, Tufts University

The eco-municipalities of Sweden have made sweeping changes to sustainable practices throughout their municipal operations and larger communities. This session will present some of their remarkable accomplishments and keys to their "across-the-board" implementation success. It will also explore additional strategies to help communities in our region move beyond single-issue sustainable development approaches to systematic, institutionalized sustainable practices based on changing citizen behavior.

4:00-5:30 Poster Sessions Continue, Wrap-Up, Raffle and Reception

Proposed Workshop Structure:

20 minutes Guided Discussion

- What do you want to hear?
- What resources do you most need?
- What are you doing at this scale?

20 minutes First Presentation

20 minutes Second Presentation

50 minutes Open Discussion
- What do you need to make your project possible? A list of wants/needs will be recorded and audience participation will be requested for suggestions on how to fill the needs.

Attendees/Target Audience:
Up to 250 participants from community development corporations, community-based organizations, local, state and federal government agencies, foundations, universities, and planning and development firms.

Event Organizers:
New Ecology, Inc. (NEI) will be the main organizer with the support of its Green CDCs Initiative partners, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Massachusetts Association of CDCs (MACDC), and the Tellus Institute.

Sponsors to Date:
Title Sponsors:
NEI, LISC, MACDC, Tellus Institute, MIT, AIG Environmental, Main Street Resources, Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust

Reception Sponsors:
Fleet Community Investment Group, HMFH Architects, Massachusetts Energy Consumers Alliance

Supporters:
Federal Home Loan Bank Boston, Mazonson LLC

Endorsing Organizations:
Boston Society of Architects, Devens Enterprise Commission, Hickory Consortium, MassBusiness, Office for Commonwealth Development, Department of Housing & Community Development, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Executive Office of Transportation & Construction, Sustainable Step New England, Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association, Metropolitan Area Planning Council

Sponsorship Options:
$2,500-$3,500: Title Sponsor
The Title Sponsor will receive featured billing on more than 2,500 event promotional mailings, on all press/advertising materials, and in the on-site program. The Title Sponsor will also receive 4 free passes to the event.

$1,000: Reception Sponsor
A Reception/Meal Sponsor will receive listing on more than 2,500 event promotional mailings, on all press/advertising materials, and in the on-site program. This sponsor will receive 2 free passes to the event.

$500: Supporter
Supporters will receive listing on more than 2,500 event promotional mailings, on all press/advertising materials, and in the on-site program. The Supporter will receive one free pass to the event.

In-kind or In-name Support: Endorsing Organizations
Generally support the mission of the Forum but do not receive Forum passes.

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