DAY ONE--MARCH 30TH 2010

Welcome and Introduction | What is sustainability and why does Iowa need a Sustainability Index?

Timothy O. Borich, Associate Dean, Iowa State University College of Design and  Director, Extension Community and Economic Development

Keynote Presentation | Boston Indicators

Keynote Speaker: Charlotte Kahn, Sr. Project Manager, Boston Indicators Project
[View Video-Part 1] [View Video-Part 2]

Charlotte Kahn co-founded and is the Director of the Boston Indicators Project at the Boston Foundation, Greater Boston’s community foundation. A partnership with the City of Boston and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the Boston Indicators Project tracks change across a comprehensive framework of ten sectors through an award-winning website. The Project also publishes a biennial summary of global, national, and regional trends affecting the Boston and its metropolitan region based on sector convening’s and research. The Project also issues a “report card” tracking progress on a shared civic agenda. Prior to her work on indicators at the Boston Foundation, Ms. Kahn directed the Boston Persistent Poverty Project, part of a six-city Rockefeller Foundation initiative. Earlier, she served as the Executive Director of an NGO dedicated to improving the quality of urban life, particularly in low-income neighborhoods, through open space planning and design and youth development and job training programs. Ms. Kahn attended Cornell University, holds a Masters degree from Antioch University, and was awarded a Loeb Fellowship in Advanced Environmental Studies from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She is a founding member of the National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, and of the Community Indicators Consortium, a global community of practice for people and organizations interested in advancing the art and science of community indicators.

The Boston Indicators Project Part I
How did the Boston Indicators project evolve, what process is used to ensure ongoing, inclusive and transparent citizen participation? A Great Reckoning: Healing a Growing Divide | Summary of  The Boston Indicators Report 2009

• Reports: City of Davenport DBE Disparity Study Final Report 6-09
• City of Davenport Disparity Study Regarding Minority and Women Participation In Contracting

The Boston Indicators Project Part II
A conversation about the BI project and its ten measures of sustainability: civic vitality, cultural life, economy, education, environment/energy, health, housing, public safety, technology, transportation.  An Iowa Sustainability Index? Lessons from The Boston Indicators Project

Panel Presentation and Discussion | A Tale of Three Cities [View Video]

Brenda Nations, Environmental Coordinator City of Iowa City, Iowa, moderated a discussion on sustainability as a public safety issue, the role of technology and transportation issues in small, medium and large Iowa communities.

Panelists

• Thom Guzman, Director IA Downtown Resource Center | Woodbine and West Union - Indicators useful to small, rural communities.
• Scott Timm, ISUE Sustainability Specialist | Fairfield – Indicators useful to medium sized communities -  Sustainable City Partnerships.
• Brenda Nations, Environmental Coordinator City of Iowa City | Iowa City - Indicators useful to larger, urban areas.

Panel Presentation and Discussion | It’s About More than Carbon [View Video]
An interactive discussion of possible Iowa Indicators of health, housing, environmental and economic sustainability – what shall we measure?

Don Edwards is internationally recognized for his expertise and leadership in numerous social change processes over the past 35 years. In 1964, he helped desegregate the public schools of Charleston, South Carolina. In the mid-70s, after earning a BA from Duke University, he joined the staff of the Institute of the Black World and became a national committee member of the Venceremos Brigade. In the early 80's, with two graduate degrees from Yale University, he worked as an AIDS clinical nurse specialist. He later co-founded and directed the National Minority AIDS Council. In 1990, as the executive director of the "Americas branch" of The Panos Institute, he began promoting policies related to environmental justice and sustainable development. That year, he co-founded the U.S. Citizens Network for the UN Conference on Environment and Development and represented the “CitNet” as a member of the U.S. delegation to the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro. In 1994 and 1995 respectively, he was the national U.S. organizer for the UN International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and the Second UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul. From 1993-96, Don served as chair of the Environmental Justice Working Group of the Sustainable Communities Task Force of the President's Council on Sustainable Development from and Washington Representative and National Co-Chair of the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development. Don’s clients have included the United Nations, EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, National Park Service, The Dow Chemical Company, and numerous municipal planning, transportation, parks and economic development agencies, and community-based organizations. He also coordinates the Washington Regional equity Network (WREN). Don is a board member of the Casey Trees Endowment and the Humanities Council of Washington, DC. He has served as a member of the Corporate Environmental Advisory Council of The Dow Chemical Company for the past 9 years.   

David Lyons, The Iowa Institute | Sustainable Dubuque – Viable – Livable – Equitable

David Lyons is Founder of The Iowa Institute and President of TII Corp. Through the Institute, David works to identify challenges and opportunities facing our State, implements research to outline options and develops strategies, tools and support to enable Iowa communities and industries to successfully respond.  Economic Development, Sustainability, Health Care, and Tax Policy are just a few of the areas of present activity for the Institute. David serves on numerous public and private boards and prior to forming The Iowa Institute was Chief Business Development Officer for the Iowa Farm Bureau, Director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, Insurance Commissioner for the State of Iowa and Legal Counsel with the Iowa Legislature.  David has a long history of leading innovative and successful public/private partnerships in Iowa, including legal (tort) reform, health reform, rural development, environmental protection and renewable energy, as well as spearheading numerous projects for both Republican and Democratic administrations. David grew up on a family farm near Bernard, Iowa.  He received his undergraduate degree from Loras College in Dubuque and his law degree from the University of Iowa. David and his wife Sandee live in Des Moines with their two daughters.

Local Artist Reception and Presentation


Presentation | Metal Artist, John Brommel

"I avidly recycle and repurpose material, drawn from diverse technical genres, searching out new and innovative applications. I greatly enjoy the interplay of energies and ideas in the execution of commissioned works. The work ethic and sense of efficiency practiced in my 35 years as a steamfitter are very apparent in the execution of my work. My art expresses oneness and balance through the creation of earth's artifacts formed by fire, wind and Water"

Dinner Speakers “What does the Copenhagen Accord on Climate Change mean to Iowa?”

Franklin "Frank" Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines, IA
Frank Cownie is the current mayor of Des Moines, Iowa and operates Cownie Furs, a store that has been in his family for generations. Cownie is a Des Moines native. He grew up on the city's west side, attending Theodore Roosevelt High School and Iowa State University. Prior to serving as mayor, he served for two years as an at-large member of the Des Moines City Council. He also served several terms on the Planning and Zoning Commission and was chairman of Downtown Des Moines, Inc.  Elected to Council - January 2002, Elected as Mayor - January 2004, Term Expires - January 2012

Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie and Tina Manbeck participated in the Copenhagen Climate Change meetings and will give their perspectives on Iowa’s use of energy and the impact of the Copenhagen Accord on the Iowa environment

DAY 2--March 31ST 2010

Presentation |Iowa Indicators of Cultural Health and Civic Engagement [View Video]

Christopher Rossi, Executive Director, Humanities Iowa

Dr. Rossi currently serves as Executive Director of Humanities Iowa. He has worked on the Psychology of Deterrence project at the Arms Control Association of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., on verification and public information issues for the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria, and as an assistant professor of international relations and American foreign policy at American University in Washington, D.C. In 1997-1998, he served as a director on the National Security Council in the Clinton White House in the office of Democracy, Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

Break Out Sessions | Facilitated break out sessions designed to determine what possible indicators should be included in an Iowa Sustainability Index.

Facilitator| Alan Vandehaar, AICP, ISUE Community Development Specialist

Summation and Next Steps| Facilitated group discussion as to the proposed indicators, what process could be used to further the development of a Sustainability Index, and who should develop and house the Index.