Symposium Date: September 25 - 26, 2008

Sustainable Communities Symposium will focus on Sustainable Agriculture

High Country Citizens’ Alliance (HCCA) will host the 9th annual Sustainable Communities Symposium on September 25 and 26, 2008. This year's symposium will focus on sustainable agriculture, with the goal of empowering attendees to implement and sustain local agriculture programs on an individual and community level. The two-day event will be held on both ends of the valley, with an evening event in Crested Butte on Thursday, September 25, and daytime events in Gunnison on Friday, September 26. There will be a film screening, wine and cheese reception and keynote speaker on the evening of September 25. The following morning will open with presentations by panels of national and local experts, after which participants will enjoy a locally produced foods luncheon and go on tours of local farms, ranches, greenhouses and gardens, all of which produce foods using sustainable methods.

Our Keynote Speaker, Brook Le Van, is the director of Sustainable Settings in Carbondale, Colorado. Speaking Thursday evening at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts, he will discuss what Gunnison Valley residents can do here and now to implement sustainable, local food production. We will also host John E. Ikerd, author of Crisis and Opportunity, and organic farmer and international speaker Jim Goodman as featured panelists, Friday morning, September 26, at the Aspinall Wilson Center on the Western State College campus in Gunnison.

In addition to national-level speakers, Symposium guests will enjoy an informative and empowering panel discussion comprised of local experts and food producers. After their presentations and the locally produced foods luncheon, symposium attendees will enjoy guided tours of four local sustainable agriculture facilities.

The ninth annual Sustainable Communities Symposium presented by High Country Citizens’ Alliance promises to be a fun, interactive, educational and delicious event suitable for all ages. The Symposium will provide answers and ideas to help ensure a healthy and economically viable food production future for the Gunnison Valley.

The Symposium is currently seeking volunteers to help during and prior to the event. If you have any questions on the Symposium, or would like to volunteer, please contact Chris Menges at 970-349-7104 or chris@hccaonline.org.

Sustainable Communities Symposium Site Map

Click any of the following links to go to the page you want to see:

Symposium Homepage: Event Overview and Description / Symposium Speakers / Event Schedule and Registration / Local Producers Tour / Directions & Lodging Info / Sponsors / Symposium Poster (PDF) / Printable Registration Form / Volunteer Opportunities