Lowell Sustainability Summit tomorrow

The Lowell Sustainability Council’s 2nd Sustainability Summit will be held tomorrow (Saturday, October 22, 2016) from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm at Enterprise Bank’s Community Room, 18 Palmer Street, 2nd floor (opposite The Coffee Mill). The free event is open to the public.

The Summit will bring together the Lowell Department of Planning and Development, The Sustainability Council and invited stakeholders. Its goal is to engage a more unified body of stakeholders here in Lowell where we have enormous opportunity to fight climate change and effect a more resilient city. Organizers hope that by connecting the dots of the collective intelligence and energy of people, and the organizations and businesses they represent, participants can help move the community forward more effectively.

The event starts with a Keynote Address from Paul Marion. The Lowell Sustainability Council will present an overview and neighborhood planner Yovani Baez-Rose will give an update on Lowell Today, a short presentation on the progress DPD is making against the backdrop of our city’s master plan, Sustainable Lowell 2025. A workshop program will follow with two rounds of breakout discussion and report backs.

Agenda

Lowell Sustainability Summit

  1. Welcome – Jay Mason, Chair, Lowell Sustainability Council

Keynote Address – Paul Marion

  1. Overview
    1. Mission of the Lowell Sustainability Council- Steve Hattan
    2. Accomplishments- Christina Rohrbacher
    3. Goals for today and goals for the future- Zach Ware
  1. Lowell Today – Yovani Baez-Rose, Neighborhood Planner, Department of Planning and Development
    1. The status of sustainability in Lowell
    2. Lowell’s Sustainability Master Plan – Its contents, development, uses
  1. Sustainability Framework – Quinn Lawrence
    1. Discuss meanings of goal areas
    2. Define actions currently in place to accomplish these goals
    3. Confer ideas to track progress

Master Plan Goal Areas- Workshop

  • Sustainable Neighborhoods/Housing Choice – Thomas Emery and Julia Gavin
  • Mobility and Access – Ruairi O’Mahony and Anthony Nganga
  • Vibrant Urban Hub and Sustainable Local Economy – John Wooding and Kesiah Bascom
  • Resilience (Recycling, Operations/Infrastructure) – Andy Kollar and Gunther Wellenstein
  • Sustained Public Engagement – Rosemary Noon and Luke Bouchard
  1. Report Back with Highlights from Each Group
  1. Lunch Break
  1. Breakout Groups Reconvene – Brainstorm Next Steps
    1. Determine feasibility of top priorities
    2. Identify stakeholders and necessity/sources of funding
    3. Identify existing resources or champions to aid progress of goals
    4. Extrapolate LSC’s role in facilitating and networking during the process
  1. Report Back – Debrief the other groups with proactive measures

Next Steps – Jay Mason, Chair, Lowell Sustainability Council