The 2012 Green Calendar

GreenWorksGov strives to connect office green teams with other like-minded groups and organizations involved in sustainability efforts.  There are so many benefits, including building your network of expert resources,  learning from others what works and what doesn’t, exchanging ideas and information, partnering on community projects to improve the environment, and pooling scarce resources to achieve shared objectives.  Here are some examples of events and organizations across the US and Canada that will be of interest to green teams:

Wild and Scenic Film Festival—in its 10^th year, the festival is held annually in January in Nevada City, CA, and then it goes on tour to over 110 locations in the US and Canada.  This year 117 films were accepted for the featival and include short and feature-length films about nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy and climate change, wildlife, environmental justice, agriculture, and Native American and indigenous cultures.  Check out this year’s calendar and tour schedule. 

GreenLiving offers a global calendar for upcoming conferences and events in February and March.   If you live in Toronto, don’t miss the one-night workshop led by author and presenter on sustainability in business settings, Bob Willard.  It will be held on February 16.  Check out what else is on tap in a city near  you.

Green Festivals are held in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC , San Francisco, and Los Angeles.  They are the premiere events with a broad focus on sustainability, including green business, green building renewable energy, healthy lifestyles, and educational pavilions.  Up to 30,000 people attend each festival.  Next up:  New York, April 21-22.  Check out this year’s schedule.

The Green Professionals Conference will be held in Portland, Oregon on February 16.  It’s designed for “elected officials, universities, trade schools and nonprofits to stimulate economic growth by strengthening the green job workforce.”

Looking for ideas and inspiration?  Check out what the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is doing to green its offices and operations.  These pages have policies and information that other green teams can reference for customizing to their particular environments.

Harvard Thinks Green.  Harvard’s green web pages include a calendar of upcoming events and seminars.  Whether it’s Harvard or a university or college near your office, don’t overlook what the academics can offer your green team and employees.  Each year, more and more institutions of higher learning are amping up their green credentials, including their campuses and curricula, and partnering with businesses and community organizations on sustainability programs.

In future articles, I'll write about upcoming events in the US and around the world that focus on sustainability.