PRESS RELEASE
August 2, 2012
GrowSmart Maine
415 Congress Street
Suite 204
Portland, ME 04101
207.699.4330
CONTACT: Aileen Tschiderer
Registration for Summit 2012 Now Open
PORTLAND- Registration is now open for GrowSmart Maine’s Summit 2012 to be held on Tuesday, October 23rd at the Augusta Civic Center. Visit growsmartmaine.org/summit to sign up now for a full day of inspiring ideas and stimulating discussion about ongoing efforts to improve Maine’s economy, revitalize our downtowns and conserve our working and natural landscapes. The day promises to energize and engage attendees in looking forward to the next steps in growing the state’s economy and protecting Maine’s unique quality of place.
The Summit will feature the release of an update to Charting Maine's Future, originally published by GrowSmart Maine and the Brookings Institution in 2006. Charting Maine’s Future – Making Headway will chart Maine's progress towards sustainable prosperity, assess where the state is now and offer a revised action plan to move Maine toward what has been described as “our own unique kind of prosperity”, in which we increase per capita income without sacrificing those things that make Maine…Maine.
Summit attendees will hear from two keynote speakers. Bruce Katz, a vice president at the Brookings Institute, will address the current economy and how Maine communities can help themselves flourish in our challenging economic times. Evan Richert, the principle of Richert Planning and Town Planner of the Town of Orono will address changes that have occurred in Maine since 2006 and how Maine can best invest for the next generation of workers and homeowners.
Leaders from Auburn, Bangor, Eastport and Portland will discuss successes found at the intersection of economy, environment and community in a midday plenary panel. Morning and afternoon breakout sessions will give attendees the chance to engage in conversations exploring the intersection from a variety of angles such as tourism, redevelopment and forestry.
Members of GrowSmart Maine and students will be able to register for Summit 2012 at a reduced rate. To become a member of GrowSmart Maine, visit growsmartmaine.org/membership.
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