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Philadelphia Hosts National Brownfields Conference

Release Date: 04/01/2011
Contact Information: Roy Seneca [email protected] 215-814-5567

PHILADELPHIA (March 31, 2011) – Philadelphia will host the 14^th national brownfields conference April 3-5 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. It is the largest, most comprehensive conference in the nation focused on cleaning up and redeveloping abandoned, underutilized, and potentially contaminated properties.

Brownfields 2011 will feature EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson as keynote speaker on Monday at 9:45 a.m. Cosponsored by EPA and the International City/County Management Association, the conference is expected to attract more than 6,000 registrants and hundreds of exhibitors. Walk-up registration is free at the Pennsylvania Convention Center beginning at 8:00 a.m.

The conference addresses issues facing brownfields practitioners, policy makers, and communities. This year, conference organizers are particularly interested in ideas related to green jobs, community engagement and environmental justice. Educational programs at the conference will feature more than 100 sessions on topics such as sustainable development, green remediation, renewable energy, urban agriculture, and risk management. The annual Phoenix Awards for top redevelopment projects will be announced.

Mobile workshops will highlight local approaches to redevelopment, including visits to Philadelphia's University City, the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, the Camden Waterfront, the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and Wilmington’s Riverfront Development. More than 150 exhibitors will display the latest technologies and services.

Other highlights this year include unique tours that provide a first-hand glimpse of brownfields success stories in the Philadelphia area. There is a walking tour through the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia where attendees will see revitalization taking place in a once nearly abandoned industrial neighborhood. There are also bus tours to see the Greensgrow Farm and the Mill Creek Urban Farm, two thriving examples of urban agriculture. And there is even a boat tour down the Delaware and Schuykill Rivers and a bike tour through the Schuykill Banks trail and across town to the Delaware River.

For a detailed agenda and additional information, go to http://www.brownfields2011.org . To hear an EPA podcast about the conference, visit: https://www.epa.gov/region3/multimedia/playercontents/audio/brownfields20112.html .