City & Omaha by Design to Host Public Meeting on Resource Conservation Jan. 20

From Teresa Gleason, program manager at Omaha by Design  http://www.omahabydesign.org/

OMAHA – What can Omaha do to better conserve the resources it relies on for daily life in the metro?
    City officials and Omaha by Design are hosting a public meeting to begin addressing this issue Wednesday, Jan. 20. The event, which serves as the kickoff of the resource conservation component of Environment Omaha, will be held from 6:30 to 8:00pm at the Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine St. It is free and open to the public.
    Environment Omaha, launched in November 2008, is a new policy development initiative that's creating an Environmental Element for the city's master plan. It's addressing five major content areas – the natural environment, urban form and transportation, building construction, resource conservation and community health.
    The guest speaker for the Jan. 20 event is Amy Malick, Midwest regional director for ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. The organization, founded in 1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, is an international association of local, regional and national government organizations that have made a commitment to sustainable development.
    Malick opened the organization's Chicago office in 2007, which services its Midwest membership across 13 states. Prior to her arrival at ICLEI, she worked for the Chicago Transit Authority and the City of Seattle's Strategic Planning Office. She holds a Master of Urban Planning degree from the University of Washington at Seattle with specializations in environmental design and community development.
    Malick's presentation will be followed by an information open house. A series of information stations pertaining to water, air and climate, energy, materials and human resources will be set up. City staff and members of the Resource Conservation Advisory Committee will be available at each station to answer questions and record comments. The Resource Conservation Advisory Committee is chaired by Marcella Thompson, ConAgra Foods Inc.
    Funding for Environment Omaha, which is receiving significant city staff and resource support, is provided by grants from the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District, the Metropolitan Area Planning Agency and the City of Omaha's Stormwater Management Plan Program Grant from the Nebraska Department of Environmental Services.
    Parking for the meeting will be available in Lot 9 across the street from the Scott Conference Center. Carpooling, walking, cycling or taking the bus is also encouraged. Metro Area Transit Route 11 stops at The Peter Kiewit Institute. For more information on the bus schedule, visit www.metroareatransit.com.
    For members of the public unable to attend the meeting, it will be webcast live on www.environmentomaha.com. Questions and comments can be submitted to www.environmentomaha.com.
    For more information, contact Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010 or info@omahabydesign.org