The fourth-annual Green Communities Conference aims to cultivate strong, resilient communities this week with a two-day conference focused on sustainability.
The conference runs Wednesday and Thursday at the Waco Convention Center with panels ranging from climate anxiety, regenerative agriculture, building resilient communities and sustainability.
Keep Waco Beautiful expects almost 300 attendees from all over Texas.
“Building strong, resilient communities is more than just a ‘sustainable’ action – it’s economics, it’s health, it’s access to education, it’s financially impactful,” said Keep Waco Beautiful Executive Director Carole Fergusson. “Ask any business in the Waco area their cost of repairs from Winter Storm Uri. Ask how folks who are normally not allergy sufferers have horrible allergies.”
The conference will feature keynote speaker Meghna Tare, chief sustainability officer at UT Arlington. As chief sustainability officer for the Dallas FIFA World Cup, Tare will share insights on sustainability efforts at one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
Attendees will have the option to see Waco’s sustainability efforts at the local level through various tour stops.
A behind-the-scenes tour of Cameron Park Zoo showcases the Zoo Poo program that turns 100 tons of animal waste into compost each year.
The first Green Communities Conference was held in 2022. Before this, Michaela McCown, a McLennan Community College environmental science professor, organized a one-day summit on sustainability.
For more information, visit https://www.keepwacobeautiful.org/gcc. Registration is $25 and remains open.
