New College, Sarasota County Team
Up to Help Community and State Get EmPowered
Feb. 22 symposium to address
alternative energy development
(February 15, 2008) -- Riding a wave of enthusiasm for
alternative and renewable energy solutions that have been championed
by Gov. Charlie Crist, Sarasota County and New College of Florida
are organizing Get EmPowered 2008. The symposium will be held
from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22 in the Sudakoff Center at New
College of Florida. Registration for the event is $50 and
includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Attendance is free
for New College students, faculty and staff, although reservations
are required. For reservation information, visit the Sarasota
County Government website at
www.scgov.net/getempowered. Sudakoff Center is located
one block north of University Parkway off General Spaatz Boulevard
in Sarasota.
The energy symposium will provide a forum for local,
state and national representatives, along with influential business
and civic leaders, to focus on ways to achieve Governor Crist’s
three executive orders to (1.) reduce greenhouse gas emissions, (2.)
increase energy efficiency and security, and (3.) position Florida
as a hub of innovation to develop and commercialize green energy
technologies.
"There is no more important issue facing our
community, state and nation, than that of sustainable, renewable,
alternative energy,” said Sarasota County Commission Chair Shannon
Staub in announcing the event. “This symposium provides the
opportunity for the residents of Sarasota County, our cities and our
region to help define a framework policy and strategy that may guide
us to a sustainable future. And it is a wonderful opportunity to
meet with influential leaders in the renewable and alternative
energy field.”
For New College President Gordon Michalson, the
partnership was a natural choice. “We are delighted to join Sarasota
County in sponsoring discussions about this vital topic and the
search for solutions to critical problems,” he said. “New College is
proud of the environmental emphasis in its academic programs and has
set a bold agenda for achieving a sustainable campus environment
through aggressive goals set forth in the College’s Master Plan and
as part of the national Presidents’ Climate Commitment campaign. It
is our hope that this symposium will contribute to meeting these
goals and to creating a sustainable future for our community and our
state.”
To emphasize the symposium’s focus, Florida Power & Light’s
Sunshine Energy Program will donate Renewable Energy Credits to
offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with the symposium’s
travel, building energy use and food. These will be local credits
from generating renewable energy at Florida Power & Light’s new 250
kilowatt solar array at Rothenbach Park on Bee Ridge Road.
This
workshop is presented with generous support from sponsoring agencies
and businesses, including New College of Florida, Sarasota County.
For more information about the event, or to learn about
sponsorship or exhibition opportunities, contact the Sarasota County
Call Center at 941-861-5000 and ask for the Get EmPowered energy
symposium, or visit
www.scgov.net/getempowered.
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New College
of Florida is a national leader in the arts and sciences and is the
State of Florida’s designated honors college for the liberal arts.
Consistently rated among the country’s top five public liberal arts
colleges by U.S.News & World Report — including as the No. 1 public
liberal arts college in "America’s Best Colleges, 2007 Edition" —
New College attracts highly motivated, academically talented
students from 40 states and 25 foreign countries.
