The 2009 Ohio Civic Health Symposium will be held in downtown Columbus at the Ohio Statehouse Atrium on Tuesday, November 10th. The conference will center around discussion and planning based on the 2009 Ohio Civic Health Report. Learn about key findings from National and State reports, discuss the findings of the report with elected officials and other citizens, and create a plan of action for how to increase community and political engagement across Ohio. The focus of this meeting centers on dialogue, deliberation and action plans regarding civic health in the state of Ohio.

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The Center for Working Families’ Green Jobs/Green NY Statewide Stakeholders Meeting will be held on Monday, November 9th in Buffalo. In October, New York State Governor David Paterson signed the Green Jobs/Green New York Act of 2009 into law. This act represents exciting new development in a state that has already shown a strong commitment to energy efficiency and innovation.

Here’s some information about the act from the Center for Working Families:

“Green Jobs/Green Homes NY (GJ/GH NY) is a blueprint for an unprecedented statewide initiative to retrofit one million homes in five years. The program will make New York homes energy efficient, lower fossil fuel emissions, and combat climate change….This public/private initiative will be the largest residential retrofit program ever initiated: a model for the nation at a critical moment in national energy planning.”

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Rehab is bringing some corners of our cities back into prosperity. And I don’t mean the Amy Winehouse version–I’m talking about the rehabilitation of the building stock that we invested in 60, 80, or 100 years ago. Oftentimes historic renovations seem to be the result of a nebulous culture of rehabbing. But cities and states can tactically choose to embrace historic preservation as a strategy for revitalizing downtowns…

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The Massachusetts Avenue Project has been using this purple van as their Mobile Market since July of this year. The group brings organic, locally-grown, and affordable produce, to Buffalo’s low-income neighborhoods. Most of the produce is made locally and cultivated through education and resources to Buffalo’s low-income neighborhoods and beyond. The Mobile Market program is just one of several projects that are providing “ground-up” nutrition to low income families across the midwest…

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The 2010 Semiannual meeting of the Great Lakes Commission and Great Lakes Days in Washington will be held on February 21st-24th, 2010. It’s far away, but this meeting should be a great opportunity to find out how the Obama administration is investing in the Great Lakes.

Here’s a bit more from the GLC:
“Promoting our Great Lakes federal policy agenda is more important than ever with the new administration in the White House and many new members of Congress. In these tough economic times, it’s important that Washington recognizes that investing in the Great Lakes means jobs and economic stimulus for our region…

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On Friday, November 13th, Local Future will present a conference called ‘Michigan’s Future: Energy, Economy, and the Environment.’ The conference will explore paths to a sustainable Michigan, challenges facing the state’s economy, and strategies for developing a stable, enduring future.

The conference includes these focus areas:…

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The I Will Stay If… campaign lands in Cleveland on November 18. Thanks to the Cleveland team for planning! Details here…

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Dream Operator, a.k.a. Michael Allen, submitted this very cool photo of St. Louis’s south riverfront recently. The contrast between the actual view from the river and the artist’s rendering of the structures is particularly interesting; instead of the blue sky you see above, the graffitied structures are set against a grey backdrop with bleak buildings in the background.

There doesn’t seem to be much besides dreary industrial buildings in the artist’s depiction of the city, but new, innovative programs in the city are helping St. Louis become modern, greener, and more vibrant. The New Roots Urban Farm Program has brought fresh, chemical-free produce to the lower-income residents of St. Louis, increasing their health and quality of life. Revitalize St. Louis is rejuvenating the city’s physical landscape by preserving historic buildings and restoring neighborhoods….

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Cleveland took a huge step this month in solidifying sustainability as a major organizing force for change. First, Mayor Jackson promoted sustainability program director Andrew Watterson to a cabinet-level position. Second, vacant land took on new meaning as an asset when the Cleveland Foundation awarded $250,000 to three urban sustainability groups for their proposal to implement their very innovative Shrinking Cities plan.

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The fifth annual Michigan Clean Water Corps conference will be held on October 26th and 27th in Higgins Lake, Michigan. The conference will showcase the conservation work MiCorps volunteers are doing for Michigan’s lakes and streams.

Here’s some more from MiCorps:

“The conference will include presentations and training from regional experts, MiCorps staff and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. Optional training for volunteers will take place on Monday, October 26th, which is free of charge. The full conference program will take place on Tuesday, October 27th.

The conference is intended for volunteer monitoring program leaders, citizen volunteers, water resource professionals, and others interested in the health and protection of Michigan’s rivers, lakes and streams.”

For a full itinerary of the conference, click here

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