Greening the City: Fostering Inspired and Innovative Leadership for Just and Sustainable Urban Communities

November 6th - 8th, 2009

Sponsored by Lesley University's graduate Division of Environmental Studies and Mass Audubon

Request For Proposals

Please note: We are no longer accepting any more proposals at this time.

Proposals are now invited for 90-minute participatory workshops that address one (or more) of the following five conference strands, each of which is a key aspect of creating just and sustainable cities.

•  Ecology: Preserving natural habitats, producing food, and managing waste.
• Infrastructure: Transportation, green building, public green space, and renewable energy.
• Consumption: Altering consumption behaviors and promoting equitable economic activities.
• Governance: Participatory models for making/enforcing decisions and resolving conflict.
• Communities: Building vibrant communities with shared values, practices, and behaviors.

Proposals that engage one or more of the following questions are particularly encouraged:

• What does environmental sustainability look like in an urban context and in New England cities, in particular?
• How is the value of environmental sustainability communicated to diverse urban audiences?
• What are appropriate short- and long-term goals and strategies for urban leaders as they encourage communities to adopt sustainable and just behaviors and policies?
• What are the most effective means to encourage key urban leaders to take concrete steps toward a higher level of environmental integrity?
• In what ways do the goals of environmental justice and environmental sustainability intersect and reinforce each other?
• How are environmental justice issues being addressed in New England cities?
• ;How can strong alliances be created between government, businesses, nonprofits, and local communities with the goal of fostering sustainability and environmental justice in New England cities?

Guidelines for submitting workshop proposals

Your proposal should include the following information:

• Name of workshop facilitator(s) and organizational affiliations (if applicable)
• Contact information, including mailing address, telephone, and email for all facilitators
• Workshop title
• Conference strand(s) addressed\50-word workshop summary that could be included in a conference program
• 500-word detailed description of workshop goals, activities, and outcomes. Your description should include information about how your workshop is participatory and engages participants in creating new dialogue and understanding.

Workshop proposals should be submitted by email as a Microsoft Word or PDF file to Lily Fessenden (lfessend@lesley.edu). These guidelines are also available in a pdf.