Green Mountain College to host North Country Climate Reality conference

Friday, April 21, 8 a.m.—POULTNEY—The world needs all hands on deck to combat climate change! To empower individuals and local communities to create climate solutions, Green Mountain College will host the third annual North Country Climate Reality Conference. Presented with SUNY Plattsburgh at Queensbury, the event will take place Friday, April 21, 8 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. in Withey Hall at Green Mountain College, One Brennan Circle, Poultney.
“As the nation’s number-one college for sustainability, we are excited to initiate such an important program for catalyzing action on a grassroots level,” said William M. Throop, Ph.D.,  professor of philosophy and environmental studies, Green Mountain College. “Every person on this planet plays a part in climate change and it’s up to each one of us to make a positive difference in our communities.”
Participants will emerge from the conference energized and with a purpose to help make the North Country a model for citizen action on climate change. Session topics will include Staying Engaged with Climate Change Action: Even When It Is Tough, The Transition of a Traditional Electric Utility Company to an Innovative Energy Service Provider, Music and Climate Change, Local Community Action to Address Climate Change Now and in the Future, Relocalization of Production & Evolutionary Culture Design in an “America First” World, and The Role of The Media.
These sessions will be led by inspiring speakers and musicians, including keynote speaker Pamela Boyce Simms a community resilience builder who convenes the Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub and the Quaker-led Earthcare Coalition at the UN. She will be joined by Dan Mackey, Energy Innovation Champion at Green Mountain Power; John Strough, Town Supervisor, Queensbury N.Y.; Michelle McCauley, Professor of Psychology, Middlebury College; Ken Tingley, Managing Editor, The Post-Star, Glens Falls, N.Y; and the music trio Juxtapoze.
Interactive breakout sessions will build momentum for locally-grown initiatives, and will focus on social media and messaging, renewable energy and weatherization, local campaigns to shift common practices, the role of music and the arts, and political action.
For more information and to register, visit northcountryclimate.org/conferences/conference-2017/.