Paul Sloan, deputy commissioner, Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; and

Peter Goodmann, manager, Kentucky Division of Water's Groundwater and Watershed Management programs

Mr. Berkebile will present the "big picture" -- the critical connection between green development and sustainable watersheds.

Speaker: Bob Berkebile, founding principal of BNIM Architects, Inc., in Kansas City, Mo.

How does good design enhance water quality and improve water efficiency?

The panel will discuss national efforts to encourage, and document the use of, green infrastructure and low impact development to reduce the problems of combined sewer overflow and storm water pollution. They also will address designs for water efficiency in green and high performance buildings, approaches to better integrate developed and developing areas with the natural environment, as well as some examples of successful green building / infrastructure programs across the nation.

Panelists:

Hillary Brown, principal, New Civic Works

Neil Weinstein, executive director, Low Impact Development Center, Inc.

Nancy Stoner, director of the Clean Water Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council

Moderator: Jim Giattina, water division director, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4 (Atlanta)

Benjamin H. Grumbles, assistant administrator for water, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Introduction of Speaker: Jimmy Palmer, regional administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 4

This session will examine the challenges and barriers to, and opportunities for, establishing green building/green development strategies and policies at the local level.

Presenters:

Russ Barnett, director, Kentucky Institute for the Environmental and Sustainable Development

Erik Cole, Metro Nashville Council District 7 Representative

Lynn Richards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation (Smart Growth Program)

Moderator: Susannah Shumate, executive director, Nashville Civic Design Center

This session will feature discussion of green infrastructure alternatives in building and development focusing on proven applications of rain gardens, constructed wetlands, and development designed to minimize the destruction of natural resources.

Presenters:

Mike Cochrane, division vice president of land planning and design, Gresham, Smith and Partners;

Tom Biebighauser, wildlife biologist, USDA Forest Service's Center for Wetlands and Stream Restoration; and

Dodd Galbreath, executive director, Lipscomb University's Institute for Sustainable Practice

Moderator: Lisa Hite, senior planner, Louisville (Ky.) Metro Parks

This session will focus on the case studies of the use of green infrastructure in public projects including the challenges encountered, benefits realized, and lessons learned.

Presenters:

Jamie Eggemeyer, outreach/education coordinator, Kentucky Sanitation District No. 1

Gary Hawkins, founding principal, Hawkins Partners Landscape Architects

Janet Attarian, sustainability coordinator and project director for Streetscape and Sustainable Design Program at the Chicago Dept. of Transportation

Moderator: Pamla Wood, watershed and organizational development advisor, PW Consulting

This session will focus on designing beyond LEED and EarthCraft certification standards to designs focused on water quality from the building site to nature.

Presenters:

Skip Lawrence, partner, Lawrence Bros., LLC (builders)

Claude Stephens, education director, Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest

Robert Lape, architect and facilities director, Kenton Co., Ky., Schools

Moderator: Mike Leonard, architect, Thomas, Miller & Partners, LLC; chair, Middle Tennessee chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.

Mathis Wackernagel, executive director, Global Footprint Network

Introduction of Speaker: Paul Sloan, deputy commissioner of TDEC

What are the economic and environmental benefits of green building and green infrastructure?

The panel will address that question by sharing actual data on costs of sustainable design versus traditional building and identifying some of the tools that are being used to assess the benefits. The panel will also present ideas of how to incent decision makers and practitioners to embrace sustainable design in their communities and projects.

Presenters:

Steve Wise, natural resources portfolio manager, Neighborhood the Center for Technology

Peter Morris, principal, Davis Langdon (Los Angeles)

Jack Wilbur, public information/social marketing specialist, Utah Dept. of Agriculture and Food

Moderator: Margo Farnsworth, director, Cumberland River Compact

1) Morgan Park Place, Van Buren Street (Germantown)

Morgan Park Place East was the first multi-unit residential structure in the State of Tennessee to receive the coveted EarthCraft Certification for excellence and quality in environmentally responsible building practices. Tour guide: Skip Lawrence, Lawrence Bros., LLC;

2) Metro Nashville Courthouse, 1 Public Square

The Courthouse features a 2.25-acre state-of-the-art intensive green roof that serves as a public plaza (awarded the 2007 Award of Excellence in the Intensive Institutional Category by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities). Tour guide: Brian Phelps or Laura Schroeder, Hawkins Partners.

3) Ellington Agriculture Center Campus, 440 Hogan Road

Once a private estate, the 207-acre Ellington Agricultural Center is now headquarters for the Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Association, and is a branch location for various agencies. Cutting edge, low impact management practices are being implemented throughout the campus under a Department of Agriculture Watershed Initiative. Tour guide: John McClurkan, administrator of water resources for the Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture

4) Wal-Mart Parking Area, 5520 Nolensville Pike

Wal-Mart was designed and constructed using six bridges and walkways to provide access from the lot to the store in order to preserve the creek that flows in front of the store. Tour guide: Mike Cochrane, Gresham, Smith and Partners;

The technical workshop will feature the instruction from the Southeast Watershed Forum, the Center for Watershed Protection, the Kentucky Division of Water and TVA and provide both an information/training approach to assist community leaders in reviewing current design practices.

Presenters:

Jane Fowler, Southeast Watershed Forum

Margi Jones, NPS Tech Advisor, Kentucky Division of Water's Center for Watershed Protection

Hye Yeong Kwon, Center for Watershed Protection

Liz Upchurch, Tennessee Valley Authority