(The Center for Metropolitan Studies at the University of Pittsburgh invited David Mazmanian, a public policy professor from USC, to talk this past Friday. These are some thoughts on his talk on civic engagement and climate policy, and what it might mean for Pitt - though you can extend that to other GLUE cities)

Leadership has changed in Michigan and many other jurisdictions in the Great Lakes Basin. One immediate challenge for incoming governors and premiers will be deciding how to proceed with existing state, provincial and regional commitments in climate and energy policy. The Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP), the Graham Environmental Sustainability Institute, and the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy are sponsoring "Climate Change in the Great Lakes Basin: Policy Options and Public Opinion", a panel that will review current policy commitments and provide an overview of public opinion on climate change and public policy options. The panelists are: Christopher Borick, Professor and Director of the Muhlenberg Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College; Erick Lachapelle, Assistant Professor of the D

Early bird registration to the Local Climate Leadership Summit has been extended to April 17. The Summit, May 18-19 in DC, is being co-convened by Climate Communities and ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability U.S.A.. Climate Communities sent this description of the event: This inaugural event will focus on: Identifying federal tools and resources, including stimulus funding opportunities, to help local governments launch innovative energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions programs...