Attendees will hear panel discussions about environmental issues affecting Indiana, receive breakfast and lunch and have opportunities to meet HEC’s Indiana sponsors, such as the Sierra Club Hoosier Chapter and the Indiana Recycling Coalition.
“This is the largest sustainability gathering in the state,” said Amanda Shepherd, the HEC’s senior outreach associate. “Our main goal ... is to get more Hoosiers engaged and informed and energized for the 2016 Indiana General Assembly.”
Registration will open at 9 a.m. in the Schwitzer Student Center, and panel discussions will begin at 10 a.m. They will occur throughout the day and cover topics concerning climate action, the ways sustainability can benefit economies and the effects of food systems on water quality.
Lisa Evans of Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law organization, will give the keynote address about water quality and coal ash sludge lagoons.
The HEC expects half of its audience to be college students, Shepherd said. She sent information about Greening the Statehouse to universities throughout Indiana in an attempt to garner interest and draw in more students.
“I think we need to get more college students involved, get them more active,” she said. “They’re the voice of the future.”
One panel will discuss how sustainability affects economies and business. Mark Fisher, the vice president of the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, said he’ll focus his discussion on placemaking, or how to construct and design a community that promotes greater mobility, encourages higher design standards and provides better access to jobs, healthcare and education.
Fisher said when businesses such as professional service firms engage in sustainable practices, they reap various benefits.
“It’s a marketing tool for them,” he said.
Fisher added being green helps businesses engage with their employees and clients.
Placemaking efforts include creating a more walkable community through green transportation infrastructure. Fisher named the Indianapolis Cultural Trail as an example of an alternative way to get around the city, particularly downtown.
Fisher said he will also talk about the different ways sustainability can enhance a community, and how it “create(s) a sense of pride.” Arvid Olson, a board member of the Greater Lafayette Commerce, will join him on the panel.
Shepherd said Greening the Statehouse isn’t just about getting informed — it’s also meant for networking. During the conference, most of the HEC’s business and nonprofit sponsors will be present. She said students could make connections that could potentially earn them internships or jobs.
Shepherd said she’ll present short training segments to inform attendees about how they can contact speakers and get involved with the event through social media.
The conference will also serve as a meeting spot for the key people in Indiana’s environmental field to gather and talk about their projects and plans for the upcoming year.
Shepherd said everyone is invited to the event.
“It’s geared toward anyone interested in environmental policy and getting engaged and involved at the state level in environmental issues,” she said.
