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General Conference Information
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) eleventh Community Involvement Training Conference will be held August 18-20, 2009, in Seattle, Washington. This dynamic conference brings together more than 450 people from EPA and its federal, state, tribal, and local partners who plan and implement environmental community involvement, partnership, stewardship, outreach, and education programs.
The conference features plenary sessions with guest speakers, dozens of engaging and interactive information-sharing sessions, almost twenty 3- and 4-hour training sessions, and several 7-hour training sessions. It also will include field trips demonstrating the power of effective community involvement in the Seattle area, a poster session, exhibits, and a variety of networking opportunities and evening activities to add value and fun to the experience.
2009 Conference Theme
The theme for the 2009 conference is, "Reaching across Boundaries: Sharing Challenges and Opportunities." The theme acknowledges that boundaries exist all around us and can pose challenges to effectively solving environmental problems. However, if stakeholders can move across boundaries, they can identify mutual challenges and opportunities that can lead to sustainable environmental benefits. During the conference we will explore communication skills and processes, organizational/institutional issues and behavioral shifts as ways to reach across boundaries to achieve these environmental benefits.
Ways to Participate
There are several ways to participate in the 2009 EPA Community Involvement Training Conference. You can:
- Make a presentation, provide a training workshop, or lead a field trip. Consider submitting a proposal for a 90-minute session, a three, four- or seven-hour training workshop, or a four-hour field trip. Information about submitting a proposal will be available in the 2009 Call for Presenters, which will be issued January 5, 2009.
- Participate in the Poster Session or Display an Exhibit. If you do not want to make a formal presentation, you can opt to prepare and present a poster during the poster session or to display an exhibit.
- Attend the conference as a participant. Registration for the conference is expected to open in April/May 2009.