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Who attended?
450 architects, builders, developers, elected officials, engineers, environmental consultants, landscape architects, planners, realtors, municipal staff from over 200 different organizations.
Conference Summary
Designed to inspire the Treasure Coast to take a creative, comprehensive approach to development that works with the natural environment, enhances regional economies, and results in healthy, resource-efficient communities. Developers, architects, builders and planners shared green success stories, the latest trends in green development, and current incentives and opportunities. Click for conference program, speaker presentations, or more background about the conference.
Hosts and Supporters
St. Lucie County and the City of Port St. Lucie with special assistance from:
The conference was held on Oct. 18, 2007, at the Club Med Sandpiper in Port St. Lucie, and attended by 450 individuals from over 200 organizations.
Evaluation
114 feedback surveys were returned to us with overwhelmingly positive remarks in a variety of evaluation categories. Suggestions for future sessions included:
- Commercial Development
- Examples of incentives offered by other cities
- Urban design and transportation
- Examples of green built homes on the Treasure Coast
- Specific components of LEED from systems to interior
- More education on available green products
- Stormwater management
- Drought issues regarding roof gardens/landscaping
- Environmental Affordability/Cost breakdown of green vs. traditional
- Retrofitting existing buildings for green
- Green marketing
- Alternative energy sources for cars/homes (wind, geo)
- Green in Public Schools
- Green for low-economic/affordable housing
- Small business opportunities and incentives
- Green building outside of the U.S.
- Green locally on the Treasure Coast (resources, issues, incentives)
- Green government on the Treasure Coast
- Indoor air
- Non-profits as a vehicle for change
- Greenfield Development
- Environmental Liability
- Regional planning
Press Coverage
Getting hip to be green by Anthony Westbury, TCPalm, Oct. 21, 2007
Gathering promotes green living techniques by Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post, Oct. 19, 2007
Eco-talk brings developers, government to the same table in PSL by Tyler Treadway, TCPalm, Oct. 19, 2007
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: An array of various editorial opinions, TCPalm, Oct.13, 2007
Green conference moves to bigger digs, staff report, TCPalm, Oct. 8, 2007
New shelter to feature green technology by Rita Hart, staff writer, Hometown News, Oct. 5, 2007
Recycled metals give new shelter that green glow by Jim Reeder, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer, Oct. 1, 2007
New Special needs Shelter Features Green Products contributed by Erick Gill, Sept. 24, 2007
St. Lucie to host first Treasure Coast Green Conference by Jim Turner, TCPalm, Sept. 13, 2007
History
In January 2007, St. Lucie County and Port St. Lucie discovered that each wanted to "do more green" and sponsor a workshop or seminar to explore how best to encourage and incentivize green development. With the direction of their elected officials, staff members recruited a committee of private and public professionals representing the development industry, and began a series of planning meetings which culminated in the conference program. Specific goals identified by the committee include:
- Bring elected officials and development industry leaders together to share ideas, information, plans and activities related to green community design and building.
- Develop an understanding of the economics of going green, including the marketplace and the investments required.
- Highlight successful, creative approaches for integrating green solutions into development and building projects.
- Discuss legitimate incentives for incorporating green design and building into future developments.
The Port St. Lucie Community Center was the original planned site for the conference, but when registration numbers exceeded this facility's capacity (over 275 registrants just one month after registration opened), the Conference Committee made a quick decision to move to the largest venue in the County, Club Med Sandpiper in Port. St. Lucie. The conference sold out a second time at 450 registrants. You know you've got a winner when CEOs, builders, and architects are trying to crash your event on opening day!
St. Lucie County and the City of Port St. Lucie are proud to have worked together with Treasure Coast building and development professionals to host a successful green conference.
Conference Committee
Sandra Bogan, St. Lucie County, Conference Chair
Bridget Kean, Port St. Lucie, Conference Vice Chair
Yvette Alger, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Dept.
Jacquie Burgess, St. Lucie County Recycling Manager
Cammie Donaldson, Conference Coordinator
J.P. Gellerman, St. Lucie Cty Extension Srvc., Growth Management
Erick Gill, St. Lucie County
Mike Houston, Houston Cuozzo Group
Katie Huntress, Port St. Lucie Planning & Zoning
Jeff Kune, Urban Land Institute Fla SE/Caribbean Treasure Coast
Karla Lenfesty, St. Lucie County Extension Hurricane House
Matthew Margotta, Fort Pierce Director of Planning
Melissa Meeker, Hesperides Group
Stacy Ranieri, The Firefly Group
Don Santos, Treasure Coast Builders Association
Ed Skvarch, St. Lucie County Extension Service
Wren Underwood, St. Lucie County
Jacque Walker, Solar Energy Systems
Jeanette Walsh, Simple Success Marketing
Behind the Scenes Cheerleaders
Commissioner Ed Becht, Fort Pierce
Vanessa Bessey, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Dept.
Roy Bonnell, Florida Green Building Coalition
Mayor Patricia Christensen, Port St. Lucie
Daniel Holbrook, Port St. Lucie Planning & Zoning Interim Director
Amy Mott, St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Dept.
Commissioner Joe Smith, St. Lucie County
Greening the Conference
The Conference Committee made every reasonable effort to host a conference that was, itself, green. Committee Member Yvette Alger oversaw this aspect of the organization with assistance from St. Lucie County ERD and Jacquie Burgess, St. Lucie County Recycling Manager. Green aspects of the conference included:
- Full recycling onsite.
- Snacks and lunch were catered by a local independent restaurant (Dragonfly of Stuart), using organic and locally sourced ingredients to the maximum extent possible.
- Florida native trees, shrubs, and floral arrangements were used to decorate the rooms and tables.
- Shade-grown organic fair trade coffee and tea were served along with Florida orange juice provided by Tropicana (the only individual drink bottles allowed at the conference).
- Food service waste was minimized through the use of washable, reusable, non-disposable and biodegradable, recycled and recyclable products. Leftover food and drink were picked up by a local food bank.
- Reduction of paper through online registration, digital publicity, and online distribution of conference materials and information.
- For all handouts, recycled paper with 70-80% post-consumer waste content was used.
- Name tags and holders were recycled.
- Carpooling was encouraged.
- Sponsors and exhibitors were encouraged to keep paper to a minimum and make give-aways truly useful.
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