A Submission from Erie County, New York and Niagara Region, Ontario
(A short front note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper– The growing interest in this binational environmental conference, organized by county and regional governments on both sides of the Niagara River border, is great news. Is it possible that environmental conferences are finally regaining broader interest after a couple of decades of environmental issues falling to the wayside and not getting the attention they deserve? As a veteran environment reporter going back to the days of the Love Canal disaster in this region of the world, I pay tribute to Thomas Hersay, Deputy Commisioner of the Erie County, New York Department of Environment & Planning and Patrick Robson on the Ontario side and Commissioner of Integrated Community Planning for the Niagara Region, for their efforts in pulling this greater Niagara regional forum together.)
BUFFALO, NY — People from around the world will convene in Buffalo next month for what was expected to be a modest bi-national environmental conference for local governments in Western New York and Southern Ontario. Organizers were shocked, however, when inquiries began pouring in from Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
Patrick Robson, a commissioner for Niagara, Ontario’s regional government, helped put together this binational conference on the grounds that environmental challenges transgress national boundaries.
“The global attention we’ve received was completely unexpected, although certainly well deserved,” said Thomas R. Hersey, Jr., conference organizer and Deputy Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Environment & Planning. “The quality of environmental management programs advanced by governments, non-profits, and private enterprise across New York and Ontario is exceptional, and we’re honored that the world is turning to us for insight and guidance.”
For nearly a year, Hersey and others from the Erie County Department of Environment & Planning and the Niagara Region Integrated Community Planning Department have been planning the 2013 Conference on the Environment: A Bi-National Sustainability Summit. The conference, which takes place October 3-5 at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Buffalo, is designed to appeal to a diverse audience of environmental professionals, officials, and members of the public, and will feature over 30 presentations by leading environmental experts from the U.S. and Canada.
“We all face the same challenges when it comes to natural resource protection, and so it only makes sense that we reach beyond the political boundaries that divide our two nations to share best practices and chart a united way forward,” said Patrick J. Robson, conference organizer and Commissioner of the Niagara Region Integrated Community Planning Department. “The fact that people from Australia, South Africa, Pakistan, and elsewhere will be joining the conversation only reinforces the importance of this ‘beyond the borders’ approach to community planning and environmental management.”
The conference kicks off at 7:30 PM on Thursday, October 3rd with a major opening event featuring Gord Downie, lead singer for The Tragically Hip and a well known advocate for water resource protection in Canada. Tickets are available to the public for $25 and can be purchased online at http://coe2013.org. Proceeds from public ticket sales will benefit the Buffalo Niagara Riverkeeper. This event is made possible through the generous contributions of Ecology and Environment, Inc.; The Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo; National Grid; and Wendel.
Conference sessions will take place all day on Friday, October 4th, and will be organized into three distinct tracks: Land Use & Planning; Climate Change & Sustainable Communities; and Great Lakes & Water Resource Management. The conference closes on Saturday, October 5th with a dynamic field tour that includes stops at Love Canal, the site of one of the most infamous environmental disasters in American history, and the Niagara Power Project, among the largest hydroelectric power generating facilities in North America.
Registration for the 2013 Conference on the Environment is $95 and includes all conference sessions, events, and select meals. Exhibit space is available for $300. For full details, please visit: http://coe2013.org
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