Second Annual Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference & Expo to be Held at Brookhaven National Laboratory

New York Sea Grant a Sponsor of this 2nd Annual Conference focusing on ‘How to Address Water and Energy Issues and Benefit by Going Green During Tough Economic Times’


Contacts:

Barbara Branca, New York Sea Grant, Communications Manager, P: 631.632.6956, E: Barbara.Branca@stonybrook.edu

Eileen Keenan, New York Sea Grant, NEMO Program Manager, E: ek72@cornell.edu


Stony Brook, NY, May 31, 2013 - The Second Annual Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference & Expo will be hosted at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) on Wednesday, June 12, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The conference will provide municipal officials, planners, consultants, property owners, developers, and others with the information they need to understand and implement the latest innovations in energy conservation and water resource protection. Known as green infrastructure practices, such methods go beyond traditional practices in reducing carbon emissions, protecting water quality, improving quality of life, and providing wildlife habitat. Green infrastructure (GI) offers an array of alternatives to conventional building and stormwater management methods. Such practices include solar panels and green roofs, land conservation, water body buffers, bio-infiltration swales, and other techniques to capture and infiltrate stormwater.

The 2013 Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference & Expo will include an address by US EPA Region 2 Administrator Judith Enck, and a tour of Brookhaven National Laboratory’s LEED Gold-certified buildings and 32-megawatt solar farm. In addition, sessions on ensuring coastal resiliency, the latest green infrastructure technologies and materials, and New York City’s Green Infrastructure Neighborhood Demonstration Area are planned.

 "Green infrastructure is a fiscally responsible answer to many water challenges, and helps build healthier communities," said Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "The investments that Long Island communities make today will be a catalyst for sustainable growth and environmental protection for years to come. I commend the conveners of the Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference for hosting this valuable event.”

It is anticipated that participants will be eligible for up to four professional education credits, offered through the Long Island Chapter of the United States Green Building Council.

Eileen Keenan, New York Sea Grant Extension Associate, observed, “The 2013 Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference & Expo will highlight how to select, implement and fund green infrastructure practices with the benefit of recent US EPA performance research and with tools developed by Drexel University that enable estimation of their  effectiveness.”


Eileen Keenan, NYSG water quality specialist and Manager of the NY NEMO Program (Nonpoint Source Education for Municipal Officials) delivers a presentation on water quality at Brookhaven National Lab, venue of the first Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference. Photo by Rory McNish

The conference will help Long Island municipalities, developers, and facility managers to conserve energy and to control stormwater runoff from development during intense storm events. Expected attendees include elected officials and board members, municipal engineers, consultants and planners, landscape architects, regional planners and development business leaders.  The conference will bring together this diverse audience to discuss what has been done successfully in the region and how these methods can be funded. The conference will provide water resource management, planning, and development professionals with important training that will enable them to more effectively address the environmental concerns of their constituents and clients.

The event will include an expo of various exhibits from companies and organizations offering green infrastructure products and services.


In front of the NY Sea Grant display at the 2012 Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference are: Dr. James Ammerman, then NYSG Director; Barbara A. Branca, NYSG Communications Manager; and Eileen Keenan, NYSG water quality specialist. Photo by Rory McNish

Sponsors of the conference include Nelson, Pope & Voorhis, Nelson, Pope Engineers & Surveyors, Hawkins Webb & Jaeger, Cashin Associates, Dvirka & Bartilucci Engineers and Architects, New York Sea Grant, and GEI Consultants.

The conference has been organized by the Nassau and Suffolk County Soil and Water Conservation Districts (NCSWCD and SCSWCD) with the Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, Long Island Chapter of the United States Green Building Council, Manhasset Bay Protection Committee, New York Sea Grant, Suffolk County Cornell Cooperative Extension, and the Oyster Bay / Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee.  These entities all work to protect and restore water resources and have joined together to deliver this regional forum to promote green infrastructure.

Brian Zimmerman, NCSWCD District Manager said, “We are excited to present information about the excellent work done by Joan Krevlin and BKSK Architects at the Queens Botanical Garden Visitor Center, which received an American Institute of Architects (AIA) Committee on the Environment Top Ten Green Projects Award and which was one of the first public buildings in New York City to achieve LEED Platinum certification.”

“We are proud to be hosting this important event.  The information that will be presented is a significant benefit in protecting, restoring, and preserving our environment,” said Paul TeNyenhuis, SCSWCD District Manager.

Bill Wise, Interim Director of New York Sea Grant observed, “New York Sea Grant is pleased to be a sponsor of the Second Annual Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference. With concurrent sessions relating to energy conservation and water resource protection, this conference will enable Long Island business and community leaders to realize the benefits of cutting-edge environmental technologies and resource protection techniques."

For more information please visit www.ligiconference.org.


At the 2012 Long Island Green Infrastructure Conference, Dr. James Ammerman, then NYSG Director, Eileen Keenan, NYSG water quality specialist and Manager of the NY NEMO Program discuss water quality issues with Jennifer Wilson-Pines, Executive Director of the Manhasset Bay Protection Committee. Photo by Barbara A. Branca


More Info:

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, and Currents, its e-newsletter supplement, each distributed 3-4 times a year.