2007 Virginia Climate Action Conference

On Saturday, October 27, 2007, hundreds of grassroots activists, concerned citizens and public officials from across the Commonwealth will converge in Charlottesville for the 2007 Virginia Climate Action Conference.

Who: YOU!

What: 2007 Virginia Climate Action Conference

When: Saturday, Oct. 27, 8:30am-4:45pm

Where: Clark Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Why: Our state is imperiled by a wide range of threats related to our addiction to fossil fuels, including:

* Mountaintop Coal Removal in Southwest Virginia

* Sea Level Rise in Southeast Virginia

* Monster Power Lines in Northern Virginia

* Endangered Human Health in Urban Virginia

* Unchecked Sprawl in Suburban Virginia

* Threats to Fish and Wildlife in Rural Virginia

Come hear pioneers in their field discuss the impacts of climate change in Virginia and explore innovative strategies for breaking us of our fossil fuels addiction through individual action, grassroots organizing, coalition-building, and concerted pressure on local, state and federal policymakers.

Come and get inspired. Come and get motivated. Come and help build a bolder movement for climate action in Virginia!

Registration fee is now $40 (includes breakfast and lunch; scholarships are available).

Breaking News! We are very pleased to announce that Stephen Smith, founder of the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and a noted & passionate advocate for alternative energy solutions (personally trained by Al Gore to spread the climate change message), has agreed to give our conference keynote address.

The 2007 Virginia Climate Action Conference is sponsored by the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, with support from the WestWind Foundation and an anonymous donor. Partner organizations include the Southern Environmental Law Center, Appalachian Voices, the Virginia Organizing Project, the Virginia Sustainable Building Network, Student Environmental Action at UVa, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Sierra Club's Central Appalachia Environmental Justice Campaign, and Charlottesville's Citizens Committee for Environmental Sustainability.

For more info., e-mail vaclimateaction@hotmail.com.

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Read more about the conference in this article from the October 21 edition of the Charlottesville Daily Progress.

Directions to Clark Hall

Clark Hall is at 291 McCormick Rd. on the grounds of the University of Virginia. It's the home of UVa's Department of Environmental Sciences.

Clark Hall is building #11 on the following map: http://www.virginia.edu/webmap/GMcCormickRoadArea.html

Driving directions from I-64 (coming from the East or West) or Rte. 29 (coming from the South):

Take exit 118B, Rte. 29 North to Charlottesville/Culpeper. Take the first exit and turn right onto Fontaine Avenue/29 North Business. Get into the left lane. Continue straight through 2 stoplights until you come to a Y intersection at 250 Business. Turn left onto 250 Business/Emmet Street. You will go under a bridge and then take the next left, which takes you up a ramp onto McCormick Road. Turn left onto McCormick Road. Cross over a bridge and take the next driveway to the right -- this will lead you to parking behind Clark Hall. There will be many parking spaces available to conference attendees in the lots behind Clark. The main entrance to Clark Hall is off McCormick Road – there are sidewalks leading from the parking lots to the front of the building. LOOK FOR SIGNS!

Driving directions from Rte. 29 (coming from the North):

Take 29 South into Charlottesville. Continue on 29 South - it will turn into 29 South Business and eventually Emmet Street. At the intersection with University Avenue, continue straight on Emmet Street. You will pass the University Parking Garage and Bookstore on your left, take the next ramp to the right to McCormick Road. Turn left onto McCormick Road. Cross over a bridge and take the next driveway to the right -- this will lead you to parking behind Clark Hall. There will be many parking spaces available to conference attendees in the lots behind Clark. The main entrance to Clark Hall is off McCormick Road – there are sidewalks leading from the parking lots to the front of the building. LOOK FOR SIGNS!

If there are no spaces left in the lots behind Clark Hall when you arrive, get back onto Emmet Street (heading north) and park in the University Parking Garage (1/4 mile from Clark, paid parking) or the Emmet St. Parking Garage (behind the Best Western Cavalier Inn, 1/2 mile from Clark, free parking).

Be sure to arrive early to give yourself plenty of time to make your way to Clark Hall!

Conference Agenda

8:00am -- Registration/Continental Breakfast

9:00am -- Opening Plenary

Welcome to Charlottesville -- Charlottesville Mayor David Brown
Our Challenge -- Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

10:00am -- Panel Discussion: Re-Energize Virginia!
Presenters will each speak for 5-10 minutes about prospects and opportunities for climate action in our Commonwealth, followed by Q & A from the audience.

Diana Dascalu-Joffe, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Matt Wasson, Appalachian Voices
Mike Town, Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter
Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network

10:45am -- Round-Robin Breakout Sessions – Exploring the Impacts of Climate Change on Virginia
These 30-minute sessions will demonstrate why Virginians need to pay attention to global warming and climate change (hint: it's not just affecting the polar bears). Each session will be done twice (10:45-11:15am, 11:25-11:55am) so attendees can choose two.

Impacts on Human Health and Community Well-Being -- Kari Fulton, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
Sea Level Rise Along Coastal Virginia -- Joe Lerch, Chesapeake Bay Foundation and Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch
Coal & Mountaintop Removal -- Kathy Selvage, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards and Matt Wasson, Appalachian Voices
Threats to Fish & Wildlife -- Julian Keniry and Kristy Jones, National Wildlife Federation

12:00pm -- Lunch/Keynote Speaker

Stephen Smith, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy

1:15pm -- Breakout Sessions – Focusing on Solutions
In these hour-long sessions, presenters will explore opportunities for Virginians to get mobilized and engaged in constructive efforts to address the climate change crisis. Each session will feature an informational presentation followed by Q & A and discussion.

Virginia Climate Policy -- Mike Town, Sierra Club-Virginia Chapter, Diana Dascalu-Joffe, Chesapeake Climate Action Network, and Don Giecek, Virginia Wind Energy Collaborative
"No New Coal" Campaign -- Cale Jaffe, Southern Environmental Law Center and Matt Wasson, Appalachian Voices
The Smart Growth Imperative -- Jeff Werner, Piedmont Environmental Council
Federal Legislation -- Rob Jones, Virginia Climate Initiative and Glen Besa, Sierra Club-Appalachian Region
Green Building Advocacy -- Annette Osso, Virginia Sustainable Building Network

2:30pm -- Breakout Sessions – Building the Movement
In these hour-long sessions, presenters will explore strategies for building a bolder climate action movement in Virginia by reaching out to traditional and non-traditional allies alike. Each session will feature an informational presentation followed by Q & A and discussion.

Climate Action and Social Justice -- Joe Szakos, Virginia Organizing Project and Kari Fulton, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
Working with the Faith Community -- Allison Fisher, Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light
Reaching Out to the Agricultural Community -- Al Weed and Todd Smyth, Public Policy Virginia
Working with Hunters and Conservationists -- Julian Keniry and Kristy Jones, National Wildlife Federation
Campus Organizing -- Tom Owens, Campus Climate Challenge

3:45pm -- Panel Discussion: Plugging In – The Organizers’ Hour
This panel discussion will feature some of the leading voices from the front lines of the climate action movement, who will each leave the attendees with some valuable insights and advice on how we can win the climate debate in Virginia. Josh Tulkin of the Chesapeake Climate Action Network will moderate.

Pushing Local Governments to Take Action -- Paul Ferguson, Chair, Arlington County Board of Supervisors
Starting a Local Climate Action Group and Engaging With Policy-Makers -- Mike Tidwell, Chesapeake Climate Action Network
Mobilizing Against Mountaintop Removal -- Hannah Morgan, Southern Appalachian Mountain Stewards

4:45pm -- Charlottesville Step It Up! Rally [at the UVa Amphitheater; rain site is Clark Hall, Rm. 108]
A charged-up rally with music and speeches to wrap up the day's proceedings and send us off in a spirit of inspiration and action!

6:00pm -- Refreshments & Networking


Register today -- you won't want to miss this event!

Register Now!

Click here to register for the conference. You can pay your fee when you register or bring it with you to the conference. Please register by Saturday, October 20 so we know how many people to expect. After October 20, the registration fee goes up to $40, so register now!

(You can also register at the door, but you are not guaranteed a lunch.)

Scholarships are available by contacting VaClimateAction@hotmail.com.

For info. on lodging and dining opportunities in Charlottesville, click here.

We look forward to having you join us on Oct. 27!

Information Fair

Organizations are welcome to set up display materials at the conference free of charge. This is a great opportunity to distribute your literature, tell your story and recruit new supporters. To reserve a table at our Information Fair, contact VaClimateAction@hotmail.com.

Conference Flyer

Click here to download the conference flyer (in .pdf format). Please print out and post copies of this flyer in various locations around your community to help generate interest in the conference!

Related Events

Greening Virginia's Schools

The Virginia Climate Action Conference was timed to coincide with the 2nd Annual Greening Virginia Universities and Colleges Conference, which is organized by the Virginia Sustainable Building Network and will take place on Friday, October 26, at Zehmer Hall at UVa. Attendees to the Climate Action Conference are welcome and encouraged to come a day early and participate in the VSBN event and vice-versa. Click here to download the VSBN conference flyer.

Virginia Environmental Assembly

Join Virginia Conservation Network (VCN) for the state’s premier gathering of conservation educators and advocates: the 2007 Virginia Environmental Assembly, Sat., Oct. 6.

This year’s theme is “Bright Ideas for a Brighter Future.” The agenda features John McGlennon on our changing political climate and experts on bright ideas like green building, local agriculture, and student activism.

Jeff Barrie, director of Kilowatt Ours, will speak on filmmaking and activism, then take part in a special screening of the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival at 7p.m.

More information: www.vcnva.org/2007veassembly.php.