2013 Symposium: Call for presentations.

Climate Trends:
Impacts & Adaptation

March 19-20, 2013
Powder Valley Nature Center 

St. Louis Earth Day is currently seeking presentation proposals for the 13th Annual Earth Day Symposium.

The Earth Day Symposium provides educational and networking opportunities for local government officials, community leaders and professionals from diverse backgrounds in the planning and environmental fields. Participation in the Symposium provides an outstanding opportunity to support important programming, raise your visibility in the bi-state St. Louis region, visit with attendees, and share your experience and expertise with area decision makers.

Topics Include:

• Weather Trends: Risk management, adaptation, local projections/trends and response planning (National, Regional, Local); Responsive and preventative policy, design and planning
• Heat Island Effect: Cooling infrastructure, landscapes and planting; Responsive and preventative policy, design and planning
• Water Quality: Non-point and point source pollution research, prevention, and mitigation including stormwater management and pharmaceuticals; Monitoring and evaluating the impacts of specific water quality and stormwater management strategies and infrastructure
• Vegetation/Green Infrastructure: Impacts of climate trends on plants, landscape architecture and planning; adaptation strategies
• Rainwater Harvesting (commercial and residential): Rain gardens, rain barrels, green roofs; impacts on water quality and flooding; impacts on stream temperatures
• Funding Opportunities: Strategies and resources for businesses, governments and municipalities to fund green infrastructure or adaptation/response planning

Submission Process:

All proposals should be submitted through our online form (accessed here).
Required information includes:

• Presentation title (may be a working title)
• 300 word summary of presentation content
• Three or more learning objectives (these will be used for attendees obtaining professional continuing education credits)
• Brief biography

Deadline: December 15, 2012
Announcements of Acceptance: January 15, 2013

Background: The St. Louis Earth Day Festival has been a community celebration for the general public since 1989. The first St. Louis Earth Day Symposium took place in 2000 when our organization decided to diversify its educational outreach in an effort to inform local governments’ planning and policy decisions that directly affect the environment in which we live. Topics have generally focused on local water issues, as the need for watershed planning remains a prevalent concern for our target demographic.

Process: St. Louis Earth Day’s staff facilitates the involvement of partnering organizations to develop a program that addresses current environmental issues facing the primary audience – local government staff and officials and the professional community that serves and works within their jurisdictions.

Finances: St. Louis Earth Day Symposia are designed to break even and be affordable for attendees. Typical registration is $70 – $90 for a full day conference including continental breakfast, lunch and reception, with additional charges for field trips or technical workshops ranging between $25 and $60. Sponsorships are sought to defray costs to keep registration prices low. Speakers are eligible for complimentary registration. However, we do ask that those representing companies that have a travel or professional development budget consider covering their registration to keep our expenses low.

Partners: American Planning Association – St. Louis,  American Society of Civil Engineers – St. Louis, American Society of Landscape Architects – St. Louis, East-West Gateway Council of Governments, Greenway Network, Horticulture Co-op of Metro St. Louis, Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, Missouri American Water, Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Transportation, SCI Engineering, The Confluence Partnership

Questions and further information:
Cassandra Hage
director[at]stlouisearthday[dot]org
314.616.7354