[Announce] Oklahoma Sustainability Network conference

[Robert Waldrop]

For local central Oklahoma folks. . . I have been 
involved with the OSN since its beginning at a 
coffee job a few blocks from where we live.  They 
are doing good work.  RMW

OSN's Fifth Annual Conference: ""Smart Growth: 
Building a Sustainable Community""
The Oklahoma Sustainability Network (OSN) fifth 
annual conference, "Smart Growth: Building a 
Sustainable Community," is hosted by Sustainable 
Tulsa on Friday, September 15, 2006 from 8:00 a.m. 
until 5:00 p.m. at the Tulsa Convention Center.

Featured tracks will spotlight such relevant 
topics as land use, transportation, renewable 
energy, and personal/community action. With the 
ever-increasing importance of sustainability to 
many facets of society, this conference will be of 
interest to a wide audience including those in 
business, non-profits, industry, government, 
design, construction, education, community groups 
and anyone who has a vested interest in a 
sustainable future for Oklahoma.

The cost of the conference is $35 ($20 for 
students) if attendees register prior to September 
8 and $50 ($30 for students) after that date. A 
continental breakfast and lunch featuring locally 
grown food are included with all registrations 
received by September 8.

Concurrent sessions will cover such topics as the 
environmental impact of sprawl, regional 
transportation planning, using transportation 
choices to achieve land-use goals, sustainable 
home and office tips, Oklahoma''s alternative 
energy choices, how to green your life and local 
foods. A mini-workshop, "Creating the Urban 
Environment," will be offered as part of the Land 
Use track.

This year's keynote address features "It's All 
About Us" by Robert Waldrop, founder of the 
Oklahoma Food Cooperative and home improvement 
guru. Ande Reed, Conference Chair stated, "We are 
exhilarated this year to have Mr. Waldrop and 
numerous, dynamic speakers on the significance of 
land use as it relates to individuals, communities 
and our state."

Waldrop reinvented how many Oklahomans purchase 
their food when he founded the Oklahoma Food 
Cooperative. The cooperative is a food order 
delivery service that provides an infrastructure 
to distribute locally grown food across the state. 
""Our goal is a business that is environmentally 
sustainable, economically viable, and socially 
just.. We bring the farmer's market to your front 
door."" Under the guidance of Mr. Waldrop, the 
cooperative has blossomed and become an integral 
part of the Oklahoma sustainability movement. More 
information about Bob Waldrop is available on his 
website: http://www.bobwaldrop.net.

Another outstanding conference feature will be a 
panel discussion from 10:30am until noon on 
"Sustainable Legacies: Today's Plan Produces 
Tomorrow's Outcome." Distinguished panelists 
include Alan Hart, AIA, from Via Architecture in 
Vancouver, Canada; Dr. James Horne, President of 
the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture; 
Robert Gregory, Executive Director of the Land 
Legacy; John Dugan, AICP, City of Oklahoma City 
Director of Planning; Linda Koenig, Senior 
Transportation Planner for Benham Company; Dr. 
Charles Warnken, OU College of Architecture, 
Regional and City Planning; and Wayne Alberty, 
AICO, Manager of INCOG's Land Development 
Services.

Major sponsors for this year's event include DEQ 
Pollution Prevention, OGE Energy Corp, 
Metropolitan Environmental Trust (The M.e.t.), 
OU's Department of Interdisciplinary Perspectives 
on the Environment (IPE), Sustainable Tulsa, INCOG''s 
Environmental Division and Kerr Center for 
Sustainable Agriculture. Exhibitors from the 
Oklahoma Food Cooperative, DEQ's Use Less Stuff 
Campaign, Harvest Solar & Wind, OGE Energy's wind 
turbine, Sierra Club's Cool Cities Campaign, Blue 
Thumb and many more will be on hand to share their 
information.

The Oklahoma Chapter of the US Green Building 
Council will be hosting the second public LEED 
workshop in Oklahoma. The full day LEED for New 
Construction (NC) Technical Review Workshop will 
be held concurrently with the OSN Conference. To 
register for the LEED workshop, please go on-line 
to www.USGBC.org. If you have further questions 
regarding this workshop, please contact Todd 
Stephens at 918.587.4747or arqitekt at hotmail.com.

Visit www.oksustainability.org for OSN conference 
registration, agenda and location details. Contact 
Ande Reed at 918.852.9794 or 
Info at SustainableTulsa.org for general information 
or questions about the Oklahoma Sustainability 
Network or the conference. If you are unable to 
register on-line or would like to exhibit, contact 
Susie Shields at susie.shields at deq.state.ok.us or 
405.702.5166.