Extension natural resources, energy and sustainability professionals from around the country will converge on Penn State's University Park campus May 15-18 for the joint 2022 National Extension Energy Summit and National Sustainability Summit.

Hosted by Penn State Extension at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, the event is open to all who have professional interest in learning more about current best practices around sustainability and climate solutions.

The joint conference will bring leading sustainability and energy educators and practitioners together to showcase land-grant university extension and research program successes, share challenges, and identify opportunities to strengthen collective impacts.

The focus of the combined summits will be on climate initiatives, including green infrastructure and water quality, as well as land use for utility-scale solar projects, according to local organizing committee member Daniel Ciolkosz, associate research professor of agricultural and biological engineering in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

“We are thrilled to be hosting this event at Penn State,” Ciolkosz said. “Energy and sustainability are critical issues today, and we are looking forward to exploring the challenges and opportunities for a better future together.”

The biannual conference will feature presentations by leading subject-matter experts from all regions of the country, with time set aside for breakout conversations and networking opportunities.

The conference’s mission is to foster a renewed sense of purpose about how to help address ongoing climate-related community impacts, while sparking fresh ideas and collaborations.

Keynote speakers will include:

-- Crystal Chissell, senior director of Project Drawdown, a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown” — the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Since the 2017 publication of The New York Times bestseller "Drawdown," the organization has emerged as a leading resource for information and insight about climate solutions.

-- Kip Phell, member of the National Energy Technology Development Team, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Phell works to balance energy efficiency and the use of renewable resources so that ag producers can provide food, feed, fiber, fuel and other services beyond the farm gate. He views energy conservation as critical for USDA-NRCS to realize its vision of clean and abundant water, healthy soils, resilient landscapes and thriving agricultural communities.

-- Ann Swanson, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, a tri-state legislative authority serving Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The commission sponsors legislation at the state level and works with state legislators, members of Congress, and federal and state regulatory agencies to coordinate programs aimed at restoring the Chesapeake Bay.

In addition to hearing from plenary speakers with deep expertise in sustainability and energy issues, participants can enhance their professional knowledge and skills through preconference educational tours and mobile workshops, abstract presentations and networking sessions.

Extension professionals, elected officials, STEM and agriculture educators, and other interested stakeholders may benefit from the cross-disciplinary structure of this joint energy and sustainability summit.

The 2022 National Extension Energy Summit and National Sustainability Summit is a collaborative effort of the National Extension Energy Initiative [scroll down], the National Network for Sustainable Living Education and the National Extension Climate Initiative.

The event is presented in part by the U.S Department of Agriculture and through a sponsorship grant from Enel Green Power, a leading developer of renewable energy projects in Pennsylvania.

Registration and the full conference agenda can be found online. Group rates are available.

(Reprinted from Penn State News.)

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[Posted: May 7, 2022]  PA Environment Digest

5/9/2022