S p e a k e r s (click on photo for biography)
Ronald Wright Author of A Short History of Progress	Jonathan Fink Director Global Institute of Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer, Arizona State University, Tempe	Gayle Prest Manager of Environmental Services, City of Minneapolis	Sadhu Johnston Chief Environmental Officer, Mayor’s Office, City of Chicago
Peter Ladner Councilor, City of Vancouver; Vice-Chair, MetroVancouver	Shannon Parry Sustainable City Program Coordinator, City of Santa Monica	Thomas Osdoba Director, Sustainable Economic Development, City of Portland	Jennie Moore Director, Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship, School of Construction and the Environment, BCIT
Graeme Bethell General Manager, Corix	Patrick Lucey Principal, Aqua-Tex Scientific Consulting Ltd.	Felice Mazzoni Director of Planning, District of Ucluelet, BC	Mark Holland Principal, Holland Barrs
David Butterfield President, The Trust for Sustainable Development	Chris Jensen Infrastructure Resource Officer, Ministry of Community Services	Chris Corps Principal, Asset Strategics Ltd.	Robert Liberty Metro Councilor, Portland Metropolitan Region; former Executive Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon
Johnny Carline Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer, Metro Vancouver	Deborah Curran Principal, Deborah Curran and Company; Conference Moderator	Doug Stout VP Marketing and Business Development, Terasen Gas Inc.	Bruce Sampson Former VP Sustainability, BC Hydro; Chair, International Center for Sustainable Cities (ICSC)
Henry S. Miller CEO, Henry S. Miller Partners
B I O S
Robert Liberty Metro Councilor, Portland Metropolitan Region; former Executive Director, 1000 Friends of Oregon Full Bio Robert Liberty is an attorney with 27 years of experience in designing, improving and implementing plans for rural conservation and building lively, compact cities and towns with more choices in housing and transportation. In 2004 he was elected to the Metro Council, the elected government with broad planning responsibilities in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan region. Today he serves as Deputy Council President, a member of the regional transportation policy committee and as the liaison to the Transit Oriented Development committee. Liberty has also served as Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, the oldest statewide sustainable development organization in the US, as Senior Counsel to Congressman Earl Blumenauer, as a land use hearings officer, and as President of the Growth Management Leadership Alliance, an association of US and Canadian Smart Growth advocacy groups. He has degrees from the University of Oregon, Oxford University and Harvard Law School and was a Loeb Fellow at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the 2002-03 academic year. Back to All Speakers
Jonathan Fink Director Global Institute of Sustainability and Chief Sustainability Officer, Arizona State University, Tempe Jonathan Fink is the Julie Ann Wrigley Director of Arizona State University’s Global Institute of Sustainability (GIOS) and Chief Sustainability Officer in the office of the president. In these roles, he is ASU’s lead strategist for developing a comprehensive, university-wide approach to issues of global sustainability. Besides GIOS, ASU’s sustainability agenda includes the nation’s first degree-granting School of Sustainability (SOS), a set of programs designed to help make the university’s business practices more environmentally and socially responsible, and a visualization facility called the Decision Theater that helps translate research into policy. Prior to taking over ASU’s sustainability portfolio in July 2007, Jon served for ten years as vice president for research and economic affairs, and before that he was chair of ASU's Geology Department, where he has been a faculty member since 1982. His research interests concern problems of urban sustainability, trans-boundary water issues, and solar energy. Back to All Speakers
Gayle Prest Manager of Environmental Services, City of Minneapolis Gayle Prest is Manager for Sustainability, City of Minneapolis. She works directly for the City Coordinator which provides a better opportunity to work throughout the various departments on environmental issues. She has also worked for the City managing its Environmental Regulatory section and in the Public Works Department, focusing much of her time on environmental policy and communication issues. Prior to this, she spent 13 years at Dakota County managing solid waste, recycling and household hazardous waste programs. She is a 20 year resident of Minneapolis who enjoys all the city has to offer including gardening, x-country skiing, visiting its museums and taking the bus to work. Back to All Speakers
Peter Ladner Councilor, City of Vancouver; Vice-Chair, MetroVancouver Councillor Peter Ladner was first elected to Vancouver City Council in 2002 and re-elected in 2005. He is vice president and part owner of the Business in Vancouver Media Group, which he co-founded by establishing the award-winning Business in Vancouver weekly newspaper in 1989. He has more than 35 years of journalistic experience in print, radio and television and is a frequent speaker on business and community issues. Peter's community and business experience includes participation in the Vancouver City Planning Commission and the Capital Campaign for the Vancouver Public Library. He has also served on the boards of Leadership Vancouver, International Centre for Sustainable Cities, The UBC Alumni Association, New Media BC, the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and the international Association of Area Business Publications. His current local and regional appointments include: • Vice-Chair, Metro Vancouver board • Vice-Chair, Metro Vancouver Mayors Committee • Vice-Chair, Metro Vancouver Sustainable Region Initiative • Member, Metro Vancouver Waste Committee • Chair, Vancouver Standing Committee on City Services and Budgets • Member, Vancouver Standing Committee on Transportation and Traffic • Member, Vancouver Standing Committee on Planning and Environment • Member, Vancouver Economic Development Commission • Council Liaison, Food Policy Council Back to All Speakers
David Butterfield President, Trust for Sustainable Development David Butterfield started in the construction industry as a carpenter in rural British Columbia and moved to Victoria where he was active in the development of affordable housing. In 1989, a series of meetings with several environmental activists converted him to a path of sustainable development. In 1995-96, he directed the planning and creation of a new sustainable community of 2,400 homes in Tucson, Arizona, called Civano; a community The New York Times referred to as one of the four most sustainable developments in North America. David is the President of The Trust for Sustainable Development and Founder of Loreto Bay Company, currently building the five billion dollar Sustainable New Town at Loreto Bay, Baja California. For the past decade and a half, he has committed himself to developing sustainable buildings and communities through the use of leading edge environmental and social technologies. He is a founder of The Trust for Sustainable Forestry and the Mexico Green Building Council. Recently, David completed Shoal Point, one of Canada’s most advanced sustainable buildings, a 425,000 sq. ft. mixed-use brownfield redevelopment fronting the Victoria, B.C. harbour. Over the past several years, Shoal Point has won much recognition and numerous awards including the SAM Award for the “Best Multi-Family Building in Canada” by the National Division of Canadian Homebuilders’ Association, Urban Development Institute Award for Best Multi-Family High Rise Development, 18 CHBA Care Awards including 2003 Project of the Year and 8 CHBA Georgie Awards. The government of British Columbia presented David with the “Building Better Futures Community Award” for his “Commitment to Innovation, Energy Efficient and Environmentally-Friendly Development, Affordable Housing, Youth Employment, Live/Work Design, and Public Art, That Extend Beyond the Industry to Enhance the Community in Which he Builds.” In May 2005, David Butterfield was awarded the U.S.-Mexico Chamber of Commerce “Good Neighbour Award” for positive contributions to US-Mexico relations. Back to All Speakers
Graeme Bethell General Manager, Corix Graeme Bethell is an environmental specialist with over 30 years of experience in pollution prevention, waste management, energy and water conservation, and environmental sustainability. He is responsible for implementation of sustainable infrastructure at Corix Utilities and works with municipalities, land developers and planners to build sustainable communities. He is currently working with two communities on Vancouver Island to implement renewable energy and wastewater infrastructure in a manner that integrates renewable energy district heating systems with wastewater treatment and organic solid waste management. Graeme holds a Masters Degree in Pollution Control Engineering from Leeds University, England and is an Environmental Auditor and Qualified Environmental Professional. Back to All Speakers
Thomas Osdoba Director, Sustainable Economic Development, City of Portland Tom Osdoba is managing Portland, Oregon’s sustainable economic development efforts, and has served as Acting Director of the Canada Carbon Trust, a collaborative effort to build an organization committed to action to fight climate change and foster sustainable development. The CCT has been conceived as a new economic model designed to mobilize and accelerate investments to reduce carbon emissions, and to establish the building blocks for future generations. Tom was the Sustainability Manager for the City of Vancouver from November 2004 through March 2007. Prior to coming to Vancouver, he ran his own environmental strategy firm focused on eco-industrial development, sustainable building design, product stewardship programs, and recycling and resource efficiency. Tom served the state of Minnesota in several capacities, developing environmental policies and programs, and helped to create Minnesota’s sustainable communities program. He has 20 years of experience in environmental policy development, and initiatives to promote and support sustainable development. He has extensive training and experience in process design and facilitation, as well as strategic planning and systems analysis. Back to All Speakers
Jennie Moore Director, Sustainable Development and Environmental Stewardship, School of Construction and the Environment, BCIT Jennie Moore works in the School of Construction and the Environment to accelerate the greening of the construction industry. She is also helping to change the state of practice by committing BCIT’s campuses to becoming Living Labs of Sustainability. Prior to joining BCIT, Jennie was the Division Manager of Strategic Initiatives at Metro Vancouver where she helped develop the Sustainable Region Initiative. Previously, she helped to initiate the Greater Vancouver Regional District’s efforts in: green buildings, eco-industrial networking, greenhouse gas mitigation, energy and transportation demand management. Jennie is a founding member and coordinator of Vancouver’s Eco-City Network, and a co-founder and board member of New City Institute that helped to launch SmartGrowth Canada. Jennie’s work has received local, national and international acclaim including: a national award of Environmental Citizenship. She is a LEED Accredited Professional and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. She has a Masters of Arts in Natural Resources Planning specializing in ecological sustainability and urban systems, and she participated in the UBC Task Group for Planning Healthy and Sustainable Communities while the Ecological Footprint was being developed. She continues her studies with Professor William Rees in Ph. D. research on urban restructuring for sustainability and restorative footprints. She has been published in North America and Asia and is a contributing author to two books: Eco-city Dimensions: Healthy Communities Healthy Planet and Fatal Consumption: Rethinking Sustainable Development. Back to All Speakers
Mark Holland Principal, Holland Barrs Mark Holland is a LEED™-accredited planner who holds professional degrees in both Landscape Architecture and Community and Regional Planning. He is a principal with the Holland Barrs Planning Group Inc (HBPG), one of Canada’s leading sustainable development planning firms, with recent projects in a very wide range of areas including community and development planning, strategic planning, sustainable development strategies, innovative engineering systems, policy, design and consultation processes. Mark ‘s consulting work focuses on integrating sustainability principles into the mainstream development industry to assist teams to find cost-effective ways of developing in a more sustainable manner, including projects as small as infill projects to large-scale master-planned communities, in both the rural and urban context. Mark also works closely with the public sector, including serving as both a city planner and the City of Vancouver’s first Manager of its Sustainability Office. His current work with local government focuses on city-wide sustainable development strategies for small and large cities across North America, including recently the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico and many cities in British Columbia. He was selected as one of Vancouver’s top 40 under 40 in 2004 by Business in Vancouver Magazine. He is sought after as a speaker and is widely known for his ability to “make sense of sustainability” in a pragmatic way that leads to action. Back to All Speakers
Chris Corps Principal, Asset Strategics Ltd. Chris Corps, a former chairman of the Canadian Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), has led industry efforts to better understand and accurately incorporate into the balance sheets of corporations and the value of Green Buildings. His leadership in the publication of the 2005 RICS study “Green Value,” broke new ground and moved the discussion of Green Valuation forward. Chris, a Principal in Asset Strategics, provides real estate and business advisory services; concentrating on advice in planning, development, financing and economics of real estate and business projects, including healthcare, major corporate and government projects. Primarily focused on business/program, development and investment viability engineering, contracting and procurement management. Prior to founding Asset Strategies in 2004, Mr. Corps was at the British Columbia Buildings Corporation, where he had various responsibilities including Senior Advisor, Project Office Director and led BC Buildings Corporations’ Public-Private Partnership involvements. Mr. Corps has over 25 years of real estate experience including partnership in a real estate consulting practice providing sophisticated real estate analysis and advice and the Canadian office of an established internal company selling property development software, used to analyze economic development viability and valuation. He has worked as a senior appraiser, head of Municipal Development Department, and as a surveyor involved in acquisitions, dispositions, lease renewals, rent reviews, mortgage inspections and other activities. Back to All Speakers
Patrick Lucey Principal, Aqua-Tex Scientific Consulting Ltd. Patrick Lucey's background includes ten years in industry and sixteen years with the Biology Department at the University of Victoria, followed by thirteen years as a private consulting scientist. His academic background is in Marine Biology, Natural Resource Management Geography, Phycology (algae) and Aquatic Ecology. He has over 150 publications. Patrick is a founding member of the Canadian and BC Proper Functioning Condition (PFC) stream/wetland assessment cadre and is trained in the USGBC LEED certification process. He acts as a graduate studies supervisor for students in urban stream ecology and was instrumental in the establishment of an Industrial Chair in Environmental Management of Drinking Water Watersheds, at the University of Victoria, which began in 1999. Patrick and colleagues have worked for the past two decades with community groups to develop affordable, effective, locally-based programs to protect and restore aquatic habitat, especially in urban areas. His most recent project has been the development of a Smart Municipal Development Program to protect public drinking water watersheds, urban freshwater habitat and to reduce the effects of stormwater on receiving environments. Back to All Speakers
Felice Mazzoni Director of Planning, District of Ucluelet, BC Felice Mazzoni is a Council Member of the Planning Institute of British Columbia and has acquired thirteen years of regional and municipal planning experience. Felice is currently working for the District of Ucluelet as the Director of Planning and Deputy Approving Officer and also owns his own private planning firm, “Mazzoni & Associates Planning” which is involved in creating and implementing sustainable planning projects in British Columbia, most recently in Golden and Sooke. He is also a guest lecturer at Malaspina University College and is actively promoting sustainable planning approaches across Canada as a guest speaker. Felice interests include implementing and creating LEED initiatives, alternative design standards, smart growth, density-bonusing, affordable housing and “win-win” development/amenity negotiations. In the past two years, Felice’s award-winning sustainable planning initiatives have been locally, nationally and internationally recognized by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities, the Community Energy Association of British Columbia, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and the International Awards for Liveable Communities (Hangzhou, China). Felice was recently awarded the 2007 “Planner of the Year” award from the Planning Institute of British Columbia. Back to All Speakers
Ronald Wright Author of A Short History of Progress Ronald Wright was born in England to Canadian and British parents, and now lives in the Gulf Islands of BC. A novelist, historian and essayist, he has won awards in all three genres, and is published around the world in more than a dozen languages. Before becoming a writer, he read archaeology at Cambridge University and the University of Calgary, from which he received an honorary doctorate. He is the author of eight books, including the number-one bestsellers Time Among the Maya and Stolen Continents, a history of the Americas that won the Gordon Montador Award. His first novel, A Scientific Romance, won Britain's David Higham Prize for Fiction and was chosen a book of the year by the Globe and Mail, the Sunday Times, and the New York Times. Wright is also a frequent contributor to the Times Literary Supplement, and has written and presented documentaries for radio and television. In 2004 he gave the CBC Massey Lectures, published as the bestselling work A Short History of Progress, which won the CBA Libris Award for Nonfiction Book of the Year. "Ronald Wright is an historical philosopher with a profound understanding of other cultures." - Jan Morris Back to All Speakers
Chris Jensen Infrastructure Resource Officer, Ministry of Community Services Chris Jensen is responsible for the development and implementation of provincial initiatives that help create sustainable, livable communities. Chris works to advance alternative low impact approaches to traditional infrastructure systems through the Province’s $400 million infrastructure funding programs and other initiatives such as the Green Infrastructure Partnership. His support for integrated planning processes and innovative technologies have helped communities create multiple benefits from infrastructure investments; benefits that include revenue-generating opportunities that address climate change. Chris is Co-Chair of the Vancouver Island Coordinating Team, an inter-governmental partnership whose key objective is to advance the state-of-the-practice in rainwater management on Vancouver Island. By promoting knowledge transfer and showcasing innovative on-the-ground projects, Chris facilitates a consistent, science-based approach to rainwater management that helps local governments achieve urban development and ecological preservation. Back to All Speakers
Sadhu Johnston Chief Environmental Officer, Mayor’s Office, City of Chicago As Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Chief Environmental Officer, Sadhu Johnston is responsible for oversight of all City of Chicago environmental initiatives. Prior to serving in this capacity, Sadhu served as the Commissioner of the City of Chicago Department of Environment (DOE). He was appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley in July of 2005 after serving as the Assistant to the Mayor for Green Initiatives. His responsibilities as commissioner included the overall management of DOE, which administers programs to protect and restore Chicago's natural resources, reduce waste, clean up brownfields, promote energy efficiency and reliability, educate the public about environmental issues, and enforce the City's environmental protection laws. Prior to working for the City of Chicago, Sadhu served as the Executive Director of the Cleveland Green Building Coalition. Back to All Speakers
Johnny Carline Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer, Metro Vancouver Johnny Carline is the Commissioner and Chief Administrative Officer for Metro Vancouver (formerly Greater Vancouver Regional District) in British Columbia, Canada. Metro Vancouver is effectively the regional governing body for the metropolitan area containing about 2 million people with responsibilities for the regional utilities (Water, Sewerage and Drainage and Solid Waste) and regional growth management, air quality, regional parks and affordable housing. Johnny studied geography, planning, statistics and philosophy at the universities of Bristol (UK), Waterloo and Toronto. He tries to conceal the fact that his career began in the UK in the 1960’s. His previous Canadian positions include: Senior Transportation Planner and Manager of Planning Policy for the City of Toronto, Associate Director of Planning for the City of Vancouver, Director of Planning for the City of Surrey, and City Manager for the City of Richmond. Back to All Speakers
Deborah Curran Principal, Deborah Curran and Company; Conference Moderator Deborah Curran is principal of Deborah Curran and Company, a law firm that is dedicated to developing legal strategies for smart growth, and is a Senior Instructor with the Environmental Law Centre and Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria. Deborah advises local governments, other agencies and community groups across B.C. on all aspects of sustainability. She teaches Municipal Law, Real Property Transactions, and the advanced Environmental Law Clinic, and is the author of the Green Bylaws Toolkit and the Smart Bylaws Guide website. Deborah co-founded Smart Growth BC and served as its president for five years, and is currently a board member of the Victoria Foundation and the new Whistler Centre for Sustainability. Back to All Speakers
Doug Stout VP Marketing and Business Development, Terasen Gas Inc. Doug Stout is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of marketing and business development strategies for more than 925,000 customers in more than 125 communities in the Province of B.C. He currently serves as a Director of NorthWest Gas Association. Doug’s background includes 16 years in the oil and gas industry in Calgary including 5 years as Vice President, Midstream Business for Husky Energy Inc. with responsibility for natural gas, crude oil, natural gas liquids, sulphur, and petroleum coke marketing and transportation, heavy oil upgrading and crude oil pipelines and terminals. He also served as a member of Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Executive Policy group for Market and Transportation. Doug has served as a Director of Hillsborough Resources Limited and Director & Chair for Sultran Ltd. and Pacific Coast Terminals Ltd. He has also spent time in the environmental services sector and the construction industry. Back to All Speakers
Bruce Sampson Former VP Sustainability, BC Hydro; Chair, International Center for Sustainable Cities (ICSC) Bruce Sampson joined BC Hydro in 1997 as Director, Strategic Issues and Planning . Shortly after Bruce was appointed Executive Vice President of Powerex the energy trading subsidiary of BCHydro. During his tenure with Powerex Bruce was involved with the team developing a Risk Management framework. While heading up the Strategic Planning team Bruce was heavily involved with helping BC Hydro develop it’s position with respect to the deregulation of the energy markets in North America. He was eventually seconded to the provincial government team to assist in the development of the Provincial Energy Plan introduced in 2001. Bruce and his team were instrumental in helping BCH introduce the first voluntary renewables portfolio standard for a utility in Canada. BCH was also at the forefront of the adoption of a triple bottom line framework and integration of sustainability objectives throughout the company. Innovest ranked BCH as the top of the list of 27 companies they reviewed in 2003 giving BCH a AAA rating for sustainability. In 2004 Bruce and his team was assigned to work with Mossadiq Umedaly the current Chair of BC Hydro and Chair of Xantrex to assist in the development of a strategic framework for the development of the Power Technology sector in BC ultimately leading to the release of the Task Force report on Power Technology adopted by the Province. His most recent assignment was a secondment to the Provincial Government to assist in development of the province’s new energy plan. Bruce has had extensive involvement in developing BC Hydro’s long-term strategy and goals, with specific emphasis on ensuring sustainability is incorporated into the long-term goals, strategies and objectives. Bruce also has a strong external focus and sits on a wide range of boards and committees and completed over 40 talks to various groups in 2006/07. He is currently an Executive in Residence at the University of Victoria. Back to All Speakers
Henry S. Miller CEO, Henry S. Miller Partners Henry S. Miller III is CEO of Henry S. Miller Partners—itself a division of the Henry S. Miller Company, the largest independent (and highly diversified) real estate corporation in Texas. Henry was born in Dallas and has committed his life to the family's corporate interests, to a wide range of professional engagements and to numerous cultural and community initiatives in Dallas. He is the Chairman and Founder of the new Henry S. Miller Sustainable Partners, LLC—a company dedicated to creating, designing and developing hand-crafted, one-of-a-kind sustainable retail-driven mixed used communities that enhance the lives of their users. His company recently won the rights to redevelop a 60-acre site in the heart of McAllen, Texas, by presenting a compelling vision of sustainable urban development. Back to All Speakers
Shannon Parry Sustainable City Program Coordinator, City of Santa Monica Shannon Parry focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of programs and policies related to the Sustainable City Plan. Her work includes sustainable city indicators, business and community greening, green building and a host of other urban planning and municipal sustainability projects. Shannon is a LEED accredited professional. She sits on the Board of the Westside Urban Forum. She received her Masters Degree in Urban Planning from UCLA where she was the Director of the Environmental Coalition and founding member of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability. Shannon received the Erin Brockovich/ Ed Masry Fellowship for Leadership in Environmental Justice, as well as the GSA Jeffrey L. Hanson Distinguished Service Award. She holds a B.S. in Environmental Science, Policy and Management and a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies from UC Berkeley. Back to All Speakers Back to Program