The Expo 2009
The day continued with an interactive Expo of community organizations and progressive local projects. The event will begin at NOON following the Green Summit and will take place on the Pentacrest in downtown Iowa City. Some exciting groups in attendance will be:
Engineers for a Sustainable World
Environmental Coalition
Farm Animal Welfare Network (FAWN)
Future Physicians for the Environment
Global Health Club
Iowa Women Initiating Social Change
Office of Sustainability
Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)
Student Sierra Club
Urban and Regional Planning Association
World Health Initiative
Sponsors 2009
Speaker Biographies - Summit 2009
Keynote: Democrat Joe Bolkcom is currently serving in his third term in the Iowa Senate. He was first elected to the Senate in 1998 and re-elected in 2002 and 2006. He previously served for six years (1993-1998) on the Johnson County Board of Supervisors.
Joe was elected a Senate Assistant Majority Leader for the 2009 and 2010 legislative sessions. Joe is the chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
Joe serves on the Environment and Energy Independence and the Natural Resource Committees. He has been activity involved in environmental advocacy work for more than 25 years. He has worked on energy, air quality, solid waste, clean water and alternative transportation issues.
Dr. Alec B. Scranton is a professor of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and the Associate Dean of Academic Programs for the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa. He received his B.S. from the University of Iowa in 1984 and his Ph.D. from Purdue University in 1990, both in Chemical Engineering. His research interests include the use of light-induced polymerizations to reduce waste and enhance energy efficiency. He has taught a number of energy-related courses for a broad audience, including The Energy Future, Oil: Past Present and Future, and Energy and Society.
Mike Berkshire began his career as a stockbroker. After five years of managing portfolios, he decided to pursue his interest in environmental protection and study Environmental Planning. Upon receiving a Masters Degree in Urban and Regional Planning, Michael held several positions within local and regional governmental organizations in Iowa in solid waste management planning and education. In 2001, Michael moved to Chicago where he initially worked for the Chicago Park District as a Project Manager in Capital Construction. During his tenure at the Park District, he managed several large-scale capital improvement projects, including the reconstruction of South Lake Shore Drive, which runs through historically significant Burnham and Jackson Parks, and the restoration of the Palm House at the Garfield Park Conservatory.
He is now with the Department of Zoning and Land Use Planning developing and implementing public policy and incentives that encourage the use of green roofs and sustainable urban and building design in the private sector. Michael led an inter-departmental team that developed the Chicago Sustainable Development Policy that requires public and private developers to include sustainable strategies in projects that are receiving financial or zoning assistance from the City. This policy has required the design of over 500 green roofs, totaling over 6 million square feet of vegetative cover. Michael has also been involved with the development of several innovative green roof incentive programs and is coordinating the creation and implementation of the City’s urban design plan, Adding Green to Urban Design.
Michael serves on the Board of Directors for the Chicago Chapter of the United States Green Building Council and the task force for the Chicago Climate Action Plan.
Mark Kresowik is currently the National Corporate Accountability Representative for the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign. In that role he engages Sierra Club members and activists in the corporate-decision making process and works with banks, credit-rating agencies, analysts, investors, and other financial institutions to better understand the risks and opportunities of our energy system in the 21st century. Mr. Kresowik is a 2006 graduate from the University of Iowa and former UI Student Government President. He also serves on the Advisory Board for the UI Center for Global and Environmental Research and the Board of the Wisconsin Interfaith Climate and Energy Campaign.
Craig Just is an associate research engineer at IIHR – Hydroscience & Engineering at The University of Iowa. He is also Vice President for Research and Development at Ecolotree®, Inc. Dr. Just received a B.S. and M.A. in chemistry from the University of Northern Iowa, and a Ph.D. in environmental science from the University of Iowa. He excels at the interface of environmental analytical chemistry and applied engineering in research projects in the areas of: phytoremediation of explosives; water quality and cyberinfrastructure; fate determination of contaminants during wastewater treatment; and poverty reduction and community building in countries such as Guatemala, Mexico and Haiti. Dr. Just is the coordinator of sustainability programs in the College of Engineering at the University of Iowa. In 2008, he won the University's President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence. As an instructor and faculty advisor, he works with students who aspire to address human development issues in resource-poor nations, from a perspective of sustainable engineering.
Dianne Dillon-Ridgley is the chair of Plains Justice.