Virginia Wilderness Committee will be present as an exhibitor at the 51st Annual Garden Club of Virginia Conservation Forum in Charlottesville, VA on Friday, November 6, 2009. 

The theme for this year's Forum is Building Sustainable Communities.  Go to the website www.GCVirginia.org [1] to register to attend. The forum will be held in the Abbott Center Auditorium at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

A panel discussion will address planning for Virginia's urban and rural communities. The moderator will be Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, who will make the case for urban revitalization, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, and more walk able communities.

In addition, topics such as natural hazards planning, environmental values and ethics, and biodiversity conservation will be discussed. Rachel Flynn, Director of Community Development who led the intensely public and creative development of Richmond's new Downtown Master Plan, will discuss creative design, planning, and implementation of the plan to revitalize our capital city's downtown. Chris Miller, President of the Piedmont Environmental Council will talk about integrating land conservation, local agriculture, historic tourism, land-use and transportation solutions in Virginia's Piedmont. Larry Schweiger, President and Chief Executive Officer of National Wildlife Federation, will discuss how the implementation of a national plan of action to reduce climate change pollution and invest in America's clean energy economy will be the driver for creating sustainable communities across the country. Using his home town of Pittsburgh as an example of a city that has successfully reinvented itself, Mr. Schweiger will show how a city committed to reducing its dependence on fossil fuels can reduce its carbon footprint while creating good, clean energy jobs that strengthen communities.

Check-in starts at 9 a.m. and the forum begins promptly at 10 a.m. The forum is open to the public and registration is $16. Advance registration is required.  There is no charge for UVA students and professors with appropriate ID.