CALL FOR PROPOSALS for NCSE’s 10th National Conference on Science Policy and the Environment

The New Green Economy: Aligning Science, Education, Markets and Systems for Sustainability

PROPOSAL FORMS

The National Council for Science and the Environment (NCSE) is pleased to request your participation at the 10th National Conference for Science, Policy and the Environment: The New Green Economy to be held January 20-22, 2010 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.  Please plan to join NCSE in a large interactive conference to develop and advance science-based solutions for the creation of a “green print” to achieve a sustainable, new green economy.

We are inviting proposals to organize symposia, breakout sessions, and skill-building workshops.  These sessions provide opportunities for institutions, organizations, and individuals to contribute ideas and innovations, visionary concepts, successful models, and pragmatic recommendations on moving forward towards a new green economy.  We use the term “green economy” broadly, so sessions dealing with a range of topics are germane, including:

• Education, Workforce, Green Jobs and Careers
• Research, Development and Deployment
• Clean Technology
• Investment
• Smart Growth
• Greening Demand
• Certification
• Economic and Climate Security
• Sustainable Economics- Macro and Micro
• Green Infrastructure and Ecosystem Services
• Energy, Transportation, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Building and other sectors

Specific opportunities include:

• Skill-building Workshops  Wednesday January 20 (half-day or full day) to provide training and guidance in implementing strategies for establishing the new green economy. These workshops will take place at various locations in downtown Washington DC and may be hosted by a non-profit or other organization.
  
   Examples Include:
  
  
  • Preparing yourself and finding a green job
  • Greening your business or organization
  • Tools to Assist State and Local Governments Make Sound Decisions Regarding Energy and Environmental Technology
  • Introduction to the Wildlife Habitat Benefits Estimation Toolkit
  • Developing graduate programs in "climate solutions"
    
    
• Breakout Sessions Thursday afternoon January 21 (up to 3.5 hours) to develop recommendations for using science and education to improve and transform the economy in the US and globally. Each session will be organized around a particular topic, such as on the general list above, and will involve a combination of very brief opening comments from invited experts in the field and facilitated participant group discussion to develop a set of 8 – 12 recommendations to the Obama Administration, Congress, state and local government, business, non-profit organizations, colleges and universities and others.  Collectively the breakout sessions will develop a “greenprint” for economic recovery and transformation.
  
  Examples Include:
  
  
  
  • Employing Markets and Payments for Ecosystem Services
  • Energy Efficiency: Tapping the First Fuel in the Race for Clean Energy
  • Setting the Price for Carbon: Implementing cap and trade legislation
  • Transforming Education to Prepare a New Green Workforce
    
    
•  Symposia Friday morning, January 22 (2 hours) to provide focused discussion on critical cross-cutting topics.

The concurrent symposia are mini-plenaries comprised of coordinated presentations by a 3-5 diverse experts to provide insightful perspectives on the topic of the session, followed by moderated discussion among the speakers and a question and answer and open discussion with all session attendees. Unlike breakout sessions, symposia do not develop recommendations for action. Symposia should feature success stories in economic transformation.

Examples Include:

• Building a Smart Electric Grid
• Parnterships between Universities and Academia for Moving from Discovery to Products
• Establishing a long-term framework for an enduring and sustainable carbon-light economy
• State-level successes in greening the economy
• What can the US learn from Western Europe?

In all breakout sessions and symposia, NCSE strongly requests that discussants and presenters are diverse in demographics, sectors, disciplines and perspectives. We particularly encourage participation from the private sector.

All abstracts should be 1000 words or fewer and should describe the session’s content and goals.  In addition, include in your proposal the name, affiliation, and address of the session chairs, and a tentative roster of lead discussants or symposium speakers and their contact information. Please fill out the appropriate proposal form  and return to Cassie Brunette via email at cbrunette@ncseonline.org or fax at 202.628.4311.

Examples of descriptions of sessions from previous conferences can be found at:

http://ncseonline.org/conference/biodiversity/ and http://ncseonline.org/ncseconference/

The proposal deadline is Wednesday, May 27, 2009.

Please note: NCSE is unable to provide waiver of registration fees, travel, or lodging for session organizers or presenters. 

Please visit http://ncseonline.org/conference/greeneconomy/ or contact Cassie Brunette via email at cbrunette@ncseonline.orgfor more information. Registration for The New Green Economy will begin in early fall.