March 6-8, 2007 @ Drury University

The Environmental Protection Agency, the City of Springfield and Drury University will be hosting a regional conference entitled the “Midwest Summit on the Sustainable Redevelopment of Contaminated Properties” March 6-8, 2007 on Drury University's campus. This 2-½ day conference includes cutting edge speakers on sustainable design and development, as well as a bus tour of area sites and interactive charettes during which conference participants will explore to the principles of sustainable design and development. Over 100 participants attended this highly rated conference when it was held in Chicago (2003), and the Quad Cities (IL/IA – 2005).

Brownfields are real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. These underutilized properties typically drag down neighborhood real estate values; the challenge is to not only economically rejuvenate these properties but to do so in a sustainable manner.

Conference Objectives:

• Teach sustainable principles and best practices in interactive format and reinforce them with hands-on site planning and green building exercises.
• Compile and exchange information on the sustainable redevelopment practices currently being implemented on brownfields.
• Gain an understanding for the relative costs/difficulty of sustainable versus conventional redevelopment of brownfields.
• Identify barriers to sustainable redevelopment on brownfields and how to overcome them.
• Learn about resources and funding sources for sustainable redevelopment.
• Identify specific sustainable strategies that participants plan to adopt into their redevelopment projects.
• Identify the early adopters of sustainable redevelopment of brownfields in the Midwest.

Conference Audience:

1) Other Local, Regional and State Government with an interest in brownfield redevelopment
2) Private Sector brownfield partners (developers, environmental consultants)
3) Public, Private and Nonprofit individuals with an interest in sustainable development
4) Students interested in learning about sustainable design and development

Related Links:
Register Online for the Conference