| 8:30 am – 3 pm |
ECOllab - Would you like help with a project or initiative? Need advisors? Put out a call for collaborators on the Summit ECOllab board. Everyone who registers for the Summit by April 20 is welcome to place a call for collaborators. Questions? Contact Leo Vazquez at leo@nnjcf.org |
| 8:30 am - 9:30 am |
Doors open for registration, breakfast, networking, and Environmental Fair |
| 9:30 am - 9:45 am |
Welcome and introductory remarks |
| 9:45 am - 10:30 am |
State of the River Keynote - Captain Bill Sheehan, Hackensack Riverkeeper
Captain Bill Sheehan, Hackensack Riverkeeper. Captain Bill is one of the most influential and effective environmental leaders in North Jersey in our time. Through his advocacy and programming, Hackensack Riverkeeper has helped make the river and its shores healthier and more beautiful, and connected thousands of people to the river. In this inspirational speech, Captain Bill will talk about the keys to his success in environmental advocacy, and give us insights for our own.
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| 10:30 am - 11:30 am |
Plenary session: Leadership Models for Collective Action
Leadership Models for Collective Action: Representatives from Jersey Water Works, Sustainable Jersey, and Green Infrastructure Champions talk about their respective programs and why they have been so successful. The conversation is meant to inspire nonprofit organizations, environmental commissions and green teams to think about what they can do to engage and empower their constituents for action.
Speakers: Dr. Christopher C. Obropta, Professor, Extension Specialist, and Director of the NJ Water Resources Research Institute, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Nicole Miller, Jersey Water Works Steering Committee Co-Chair; Principal, MnM Consulting
Randall Solomon, Executive Director, Sustainable Jersey
Moderator: Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, Executive Director, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
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| 11:30 am - 11:50 am |
Break and networking
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| 11:50 am -12:50 pm |
Breakout sessions A
- E-Connections: Experts in various topics of interest to HRN Council members and established environmental leaders will be at tables that seat 6 or 8 people. Participants can then go to whoever they would like to ask questions, and however many experts or leaders they would like to talk to. The experts/leaders can provide technical advice, information, or respond to ideas that participants may bring. We will invite experts in watershed improvement planning, who can help participants get ideas for their required Phase 2 WIP strategies.
Available E-Connection subject matter expertise and experts
- MS4 permit – Rutgers Water Resources (RWR) rep TBD
- Green infrastructure - RWR rep TBD
- Rain gardens - RWR rep TBD
- Creative placemaking - Leo Vazquez or Danielle De Laurentis, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
- Environmental Health - Rutgers Center for Environmental Exposure and Disease rep TBD
- Community-engaged science - Rutgers Center for Environmental Exposure and Disease rep TBD
- Stormwater utilities - Black & Veatch
- Influencing Local Officials: Teaneck Councilmember Hillary Goldberg and at least one other elected official share ideas and ask questions about influencing municipal and county officials.
Speakers: Hillary Goldberg, Councilmember, City of Teaneck
- Getting a Stormwater Utility in Your Community: This session will help participants learn how to address the technical, political and other challenges to getting a stormwater utility ordinance enacted. Speakers will also discuss how this helps municipalities with their Watershed Improvement Plans. Representatives of Jersey Water Works Stormwater Utilities Committee and public officials will present.
Moderator: Dana Patterson Grear, Director of Marketing & Communications, Princeton Hydro
Speakers:
- Nancy Adams, Council member and former Mayor, Maplewood Township
- Prabha Kumar, Managing Director, Black & Veatch
- John Tully, Supervisor of Engineering & IT, Supervisor of Stormwater Utility, Raritan Township
- Creative Placemaking for Environmental Protection: Public art can be a powerful vehicle for bringing people together and focusing their attention on subjects like environmental protection. Even more powerful is the process that creates the art. Meet environmental public artists who have created innovative environmental projects produced by the Northern New Jersey Community Foundation.
Moderator: Danielle De Laurentis, Associate Director, NNJCF
Speakers: Environmental artists Larissa Belcic, Paul Pinto, Julia Stein, and Juanli Carrión
- Hackensack River Superfund Clean Up - Updates and Impacts: In 2022, the Lower Hackensack River was designated a Superfund site. EPA’s Lower Hackensack River project team will discuss the approach to cleaning up the river and provide an update on the work conducted thus far, as well expectations for the near future.
Join this workshop to learn about the progress of the Superfund project and what this means for development and building along the river.
Session leader(s):
- Jennifer LaPoma, Project Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2
- Josh Smeraldi, Project Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2
- Brandon Holsten, Project Manager, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2
- Drew Curtis, Community Engagement Coordinator for US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2.
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| 12:50 pm - 2 pm |
Lunch
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| 2 pm - 3 pm |
Breakout sessions B
- Strategic Conversation: Making the Hackensack River Watershed more Sustainable: Making a More Sustainable Hackensack River Watershed: Through the Open Space or World Cafe community engagement model, participants will discuss issues and identify strategies for making the watershed more sustainable. The ideas will be noted, published and shared with public officials and environmental leaders in the area. This is a good session for anyone interested in learning more about community engagement techniques.
Facilitator: Leonardo Vazquez, AICP/PP, Executive Director, Northern New Jersey Community Foundation
- E-Connections: Experts in various topics of interest to HRN Council members and established environmental leaders will be at tables that seat 6 or 8 people. Participants can then go to whoever they would like to ask questions, and however many experts or leaders they would like to talk to. The experts/leaders can provide technical advice, information, or respond to ideas that participants may bring. We will invite experts in watershed improvement planning, who can help participants get ideas for their required Phase 2 WIP strategies.
List of topics and experts to be announced
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| 3 pm -3:30 pm |
Wrap-up: What now, what’s next?
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