09
Mar
National Pesticide Forum to Feature Green Entrepreneurs and More
(Beyond Pesticides, March 9, 2010) The 28th National Pesticide Forum, Greening the Community: Green economy, organic environments and healthy people, will feature “green entrepreneurs,” who are making a living while making a difference in the community. This panel is the latest addition to the exciting speaker line-up at Beyond Pesticides’ annual conference, which will be held April 9-10 at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Take advantage of the reduced advance registration rate and sign-up online today.
The panel will feature founders of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care (organic lawn care), Mustard Seed Market and Café (organic grocery store and café), A Piece of Cleveland (deconstruction company which ”˜recycles’ unwanted materials into furniture and other products), D’Bug Lady Pest Management (least-toxic pest control), Green Clean Inc. (environmentally-friendly cleaning), and Expedite Renewable Energy (helps companies reduce their carbon footprint).
The Forum will also feature session on organic gardening and community spaces, lawn pesticide bans, health impacts of pesticides, the health benefits of organic food, green local government efforts and much more. It officially kicks off Friday afternoon with a tour of the Cleveland Botanical Garden and its affiliated community gardens, with sessions officially starting Friday at 5:30pm, and will conclude Saturday at 10:30pm. Please RSVP to attend the garden tour.
We hope that you are able to join us at this important event to discuss the latest information on pesticides and alternatives, meet scientists and community leaders, and network with other activists working to change policies at the local, state and national levels. Download the Forum flyer to help promote Greening the Community.
Registration
$25 advance “recession rate” for grassroots activists, Ohio residents and students; $65 for members; $75 for non-members; and, $175 for businesses. Rate includes all speakers, sessions, live music and organic food and drink. Register now and save.
Green Entrepreneurs Panelists
Carol Kauscher, nicknamed “D ´Bug Lady”, started an environmentally-friendly pest management business of the same name in 1993. Formerly employed by the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority for six (6) years, she supervised eleven employees in the Pest Control Department. Driven by a desire to help people and the environment, Carol founded the company. Carol believes in her cause and is very active with environmental groups around the country, as well as sponsoring speaking engagements and programs on least toxtic pest control. In 2000, Carol was presented with a Leading Women 2000 Award for Skilled Trades.
Chris Kious is the material recovery partner to A Piece of Cleveland, a business which seeks to preserve the rich history of the city by telling a story and turning unwanted materials into furniture and other products that will increase their value. Working in community development within Cleveland for 5 years, Kious has seen many perfectly good buildings slated for demolition. Since 2006 Chris has worked at making deconstruction a successful industry in Cleveland. Chris’s passion is to build sustainable/green businesses out of the recycling of buildings.
Alec McClennan is Founder and President of Good Nature Organic Lawn Care, a firm specializing in naturally-based, organic fertilization and natural weed suppression for lawns, trees, and shrubs on residential and commercial properties. Good Nature offers a full line of organically-based lawn and tree care services centered around proprietary, feed-grade formulas and processes that require no toxic chemical applications. A Cleveland native, Alec grew up in Bainbridge, Ohio. He earned a degree in Civil Engineering, with specialization in Urban Transportation and Business, from the University of Pennsylvania.
Phillip Nabors, co-owner of Mustard Seed Market & Café – the largest locally-owned retailer of natural and organic products in Ohio, is dedicated to serving the consumer of the natural foods industry. Phillip is a veteran in food safety and consumer rights legislation. He was instrumental in helping to get organic legislation passed by Congress in 1990, which required the USDA to develop organic guidelines. Recently, Phillip has been active in lobbying for legislation that would require the labeling of genetically engineered foods, allowing for consumers to recognize a food’s origin and composition and choose accordingly.
Rebecca Reynolds is the owner and president of Green Clean Inc., an environmentally-friendly cleaning service in Cleveland, OH. Ms. Reynolds, who suffered from a rare blood disorder but turned her health around by converting to an organic diet, realized there was a great inconsistency between the organic food she was feeding her family and the toxic chemicals she had been cleaning with for years. After researching day and night the hazards of common cleaning chemicals and trying to get companies to disclose their ingredients, she founded Green Clean in 2002. She now employs over 30 people at a living wage and provides a valuable service to the people of Northeast Ohio.
Stefanie Penn Spear is founder and executive director of EcoWatch. She is passionate and committed to educating people about environmental issues and bringing people together to achieve a sustainable world. She is president of Expedite Renewable Energy, a company that helps businesses access their electricity usage, strategize the best renewable energy project for their site and implement the project. She is on the advisory committee for GreenCityBlueLake and Tri-C’s Green Academy and Center for Sustainability, and co-chair for the steering committee for the Advanced Energy Generation for Sustainable Cleveland 2019.
See the full speaker list.
