“Three great events at one venue. The combination of the Michigan Energy Fair, The Sustainable Living Summit 2016, and the Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo, all in one place, for one weekend, could be the most fun and educational family friendly event you will attend all year.” –Doug Elbinger, Michigan Energy Fair
The Sustainable Living Summit 2016
AND
The Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo
The 16th Annual Michigan Energy Fair
Renewable energy, energy efficiency, emergency preparedness, and sustainability come together to make this the most comprehensive fair yet. This year’s theme ‘Connect Here’ is the focus to network with industry leaders and learn about sustainable lifestyles, create sustainable homes, businesses, and communities. The Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association (GLREA) announces these two new partnerships that will complement and enrich your experience at our 16th annual event.
Each year thousands will gather from around the Great Lakes to attend the Michigan Energy Fair which features over 100 exhibitors, hands on activities, alternative vehicle car show, free workshops, prizes, local food and music. The event is open to the public and welcomes anyone to attend …homeowners, business owners, students, teachers and the curious. The fair attracts those who want to take control of their utility bills, prepare homes and businesses for emergencies, and learn sustainable living practices. The fair is known as a ‘one-stop’ resource for sustainable life styles. For 25 years, the GLREA has served people in the Great Lakes region as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. The GLREA is the leading renewable energy organization promoting policies, technologies, education and practices which are environmentally and economically sustainable.
The Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo (GLEPE) is the leading emergency preparedness convention in theMidwest. The Great Lakes Emergency Preparedness Expo offers a large audience for survival professionals and industry enthusiasts. Local businesses and emergency responders, including the local government agencies and military professionals are among the many pre-registered exhibitors with floor space and booths at the GLEPE. Attendees will learn about preparing a 72-hour kit, food storage, and water purification. Other vendors will provide tips and information about first aid, gardening, pet care preparedness, communications, cooking, heat, light, and energy options.
Numerous training classes, presentations, and demonstrations encompassing the prepping, self-reliance, and emergency management industries will make this Expo a one of its kind event for both attendees and exhibitors. We encourage county and local governments, municipalities and businesses leaders who prepare Emergency Action Plans to attend. The information you receive about how to reduce costs in your jurisdiction through energy savings and incorporating renewable energy while learning the latest in emergency preparation.
The Sustainable Living Summit 2016 (SLS) is a day-long event starting with a pancake breakfast on Saturday, June 25th. The event features acclaimed keynote speakers and panel discussions with leading experts, dozens of exhibitors, and workshops, in a low-key, family friendly atmosphere. The Sustainable Living Summit is a proactive solution to educating, and enhancing our community to guide us toward a vibrant and healthy future. Meet, hear, and network with some of the leading experts and innovators in the MidWest. Registration online in advance is $25. Includes pancake breakfast and admission to the Michigan Energy Fair
The Sustainable Living Summit forums will include experts in:
• Renewable Energy
• Energy Efficiency
• Alternative Transportation
• Local & Sustainable Agriculture
• Green Buildings & Construction
• Natural Health & Wellness
• Environmental & Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Economic Development
• Sustainable Communities
• Breakthrough Technologies
The Sustainable Living Summit Mission & Vision
–To promote environmentally friendly choices and practices to the community by
showcasing sustainable businesses, technologies, and organizations that empower us
to be better stewards of the Earth.
–To engage in ongoing dialogue, inquiry, and discovery of more sustainable practices
through educational forums, exhibits, and networking.
–Empower citizens with awareness in sustainability issues and a capacity to contribute to
the direction of sustainable lifestyles.
–Integrate sustainable practices into all aspects of personal and business planning,
focusing both on the current and future implications.
–Design, build and operate environments that minimizes its ecological footprint,
contributing to the goal of climate neutrality.
–Create new paradigms for energy, transportation, water, waste and food systems that
contribute to best practices. Participate in research initiatives and outreach activities that educate our communities, nourish our natural ecosystems, and enrich our cultural experiences.
–Embrace right livelihoods that promote health, diversity, and tolerance as principles by
which policy and process are designed.
Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use
of the earth’s natural and personal resources without compromising quality of life.
Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their own carbon footprint by
altering methods of transportation, energy consumption, diet and work habits.
Sustainability crosses all areas of life, from the natural environment to urban planning, to health care, economics, transportation, energy, agriculture, water and more. It is generally recognized that sustainable enterprise in all of its many aspects will be a major component of future economic development in Michigan, the region, and around the globe. Much of the world is now in the early stages of a historic transition from economies that accommodate waste and inefficiency and depend too much on fossil fuels …to systems that are much more conserving, efficient, and sustainable.
Unprecedented Opportunity
The Sustainability Summit recognizes unprecedented opportunities and encourages
investment and development in the green sector. We highlight Energy, Water, Lifestyle,
Business and Workforce. It’s clear that sustainability is no longer an optional add-on for business. In the
business world adapting to climate change is now an imperative. Companies need to know that their supply chain is both secure and sustainable. Shareholders and customers are increasingly demanding to know that their products are coming from sustainable sources. Market advantage will flow to those companies which can prove this.
The purpose of the Sustainability Living Summit is to create a forum where business
leaders, innovators, government agencies, and non-profits can examine both the
commercial opportunities in the emerging green economy as well as the challenges in
achieving sustainability goals. Our aim is to create an annual event which will chart how
industry is progressing and how Michigan can secure a competitive advantage.
Some of the distinguished speakers include;
RON DOETCH
Agronomist
The Future of Food and Farming Systems
Food and farming systems are the same system. How do we share a vision of a sustainable food system and what framing and language do we use to communicate in our planning discussions? How do we honor the past while coping with the rapid acceleration of technology that provides so many new possibilities for our relationship with food? How do we bridge the gaps in income and labor between food production and modern lifestyles? This talk attempts to answer these and other questions about our future.
Agronomist, Ron Doetch, was raised on a small working dairy farm in Northern Illinois. The farm at this time was without chemicals and integrated as a diverse system where everything got used in some way. After receiving a degree in agronomy at the University of Illinois, Ron worked on special projects for John Deere including new ways to incorporate conservation into modern farming techniques. It was then a natural fit to become specialty crops manager for Itochu, a global Japanese trading firm, to connect Japanese food processors to American farmers. In 2003, Ron assumed the helm as Executive Director of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute to oversee the agriculture education, research and outreach programs of the now 20 year old organization in East Troy, WI. Today, Ron works as an independent consultant in food and farming systems
PATRICK LINDEMANN
Ingham County Drain Commissioner
Focus on Water Quality
Michigan stands as one of the guardians of The Great Lakes …the largest body of fresh water in the world. Storm water runoff is the largest transporter of non-point and point source pollution discharges to the waters of all jurisdictions in Michigan and throughout the Nation. “This is where we draw the line in the sand and develop new Best Management Practices for negating the pollution conveyed by storm water runoff,” says Pat Lindemann, one of the nations leading experts in water management systems who will talk about the cutting-edge efforts in Ingham County to protect our valuable water resources.
Pat Lindemann was first elected as the Ingham County Drain Commissioner in 1992, an office he has re-defined to reflect his environmental stewardship ethic and systems approach to stormwater management. He has received international, national, and state recognition and awards for his innovative drain projects.
District. The design for a wetland filtration system in the Tollgate Drainage District in Lansing Township, Michigan is the first of its kind, and has received national awards and international interest. Pat holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Michigan State University in Resource Development, with credits toward an advanced degree in the same discipline.
JAMES L. NEWMAN
Newman Consulting Group LLC
CEM, CSDP, LEED AP BD+C, ASHRAE OPMP & BEAP
Improving Energy Efficiency in New and Existing Buildings
Jim Newman is one of the country’s most experienced energy efficiency and green building experts. Known as the “Dean of Green,” Jim regularly speaks across the US and internationally to professionals, student groups and the media about sustainability and green technology. He is a Certified Energy Manager (CEM), a Certified Sustainable Development Professional (CSDP), a LEED Accredited Professional, an ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer (DL), an Operations and Performance Management Professional (OPMPa Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP) and a Fellow of the Engineering Society of Detroit (FESD). In 2012, he was named a Green Leader by Corp! Magazine and the Detroit Free Press.Jim Newman has been involved in this industry long enough to be both a seasoned expert and a pioneer. Internationally recognized speaker and writer on Indoor Air Quality, Energy Conservation, Green Design and Efficient Operating and Maintenance, USGBC and LEED®. Jim will share his expertise with a program
MARK BATES
Building Automation Specialist
TH Eifert Mechanical Contractors
You Can’t Manage What You Can’t Measure
In order to get control of your spending on Utilities, you must first have the ability to understand how your facilities consumes energy. According to the Building Owners & Manufacturing Association, approximately 72% of a buildings monthly energy spend is on Space Heating, Cooling, Water Heating and Lighting. Understanding how efficient your building is performing in each of these parameters, requires that you first discover how your building compares to others of similar size, age and usage nationally and receive an EnergyStar Score from the United States Department of Energy. This score provides the data that is necessary for your Energy Consultant to determine to what extent there is Energy Savings Potential.
Mark Bates brings nearly 40 years of experience in the Construction Services business, specializing in “all things low voltage.” As a Building Automation Solution Specialist at Lansing-based T. H. Eifert Mechanical Contractors, Bates, is responsible for helping the company evolve into providing innovative Energy Management solutions for its’ HVAC service clients. His career includes serving as a Sales Engineer with Honeywell’s Commercial Construction Division, where he designed and project managed a building management solution for the State of Michigan office buildings including, the State Capital, inner-connected State-owned buildings downtown and the State Secondary Complex.
BRINDLEY BYRD
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MICHIGAN ENERGY EFFICIENCY CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION
Advocating Public Policy for Energy Conservation
After graduating from Michigan State University, Brindley founded and successfully managed a residential remodeling company for 12 years. He leveraged his own professional development experience into being a national speaker and presenter for the National Association of Home Builders. After serving as founding executive director of the Michigan Construction Career Council, part of Capital Area Michigan Works!, Brindley moved into utility rebate program design with CLEAResult and then onto advocating for the energy efficiency industry as the founding executive director of the Michigan Energy Efficiency Contractors Association (MEECA). He also serves as executive director of the Michigan Air Conditioning Contractors Association (MIACCA) fighting for fair competition throughout Michigan’s mechanical industry. He is currently working to expand Michigan’s integrated energy efficiency market.
Complete information about these events may be found at www.glrea.org
