Contact:
Phil Hailer
617-573-1104
DEVAL L. PATRICK
Governor
TIMOTHY P. MURRAY
Lieutenant Governor
DANIEL O'CONNELL
Secretary
TINA BROOKS
Undersecretary
December 17, 2008 - For immediate release:
Patrick Administration Hosts Smart Growth Conference
(BOSTON) -- Using the theme of Think Green: Educate and Engage, the Patrick Administration today hosted hundreds of Massachusetts advocates along with state and local officials, business leaders and policy makers at its annual Smart Growth/Smart Energy Conference to focus on the latest environmental, housing, transportation, economic development, and energy and public health innovations.
The conference, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, featured a series of workshops and roundtable discussions featuring policy and regulatory updates, best practices, and skills development on a variety of topics including: The Green Communities Act, energy efficiency and clean energy strategies for municipalities, transit oriented development, green and healthy affordable housing, climate change adaptation, foreclosed property reuse and regional planning.
"Today's conference is a collaborative effort by numerous state agencies", said Daniel O'Connell, Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. "It is a wonderful example of the Patrick Administration's commitment to work on many fronts to implement policies that advance our shared goals of conserving our unique natural resources, engage our communities in the job and economic benefits of new green industries and expand our knowledge of the opportunities made possible by embracing a green approach."
The conference was hosted by the following Patrick Administration agencies: Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development/Department of Housing and Community Development; Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs/Department of Energy Resources; Executive Office of Health and Human Services/Department of Public Health; Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works.
Along with nearly two dozen workshops and three dozen exhibitors, the conference featured keynote speeches from Steve Winkelman, Director of Transportation and Adaptation Programs for the Center for Clean Air Policy and J. Phillip Thompson, an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For more information, visit the Smart Growth Conference site.
The conference, held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, featured a series of workshops and roundtable discussions featuring policy and regulatory updates, best practices, and skills development on a variety of topics including: The Green Communities Act, energy efficiency and clean energy strategies for municipalities, transit oriented development, green and healthy affordable housing, climate change adaptation, foreclosed property reuse and regional planning.
"Today's conference is a collaborative effort by numerous state agencies", said Daniel O'Connell, Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. "It is a wonderful example of the Patrick Administration's commitment to work on many fronts to implement policies that advance our shared goals of conserving our unique natural resources, engage our communities in the job and economic benefits of new green industries and expand our knowledge of the opportunities made possible by embracing a green approach."
The conference was hosted by the following Patrick Administration agencies: Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development/Department of Housing and Community Development; Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs/Department of Energy Resources; Executive Office of Health and Human Services/Department of Public Health; Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works.
Along with nearly two dozen workshops and three dozen exhibitors, the conference featured keynote speeches from Steve Winkelman, Director of Transportation and Adaptation Programs for the Center for Clean Air Policy and J. Phillip Thompson, an Associate Professor of Urban Policy and Urban Studies and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
For more information, visit the Smart Growth Conference site.