SUSTAINABILITY ALLIANCE of the MOUNTAINS (SAM)
November 28, 2007 - North Carolina Arboretum
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Introduction:
On Wednesday November 28, 2007 at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville,
a gathering of more than 80 cross-sector participants was convened by
the Sustainability
Alliance of the Mountains (SAM). The theme of the gathering was "Regional
Collaboration and Action for Sustainability". This second "Summit" built
upon the foundation of a similar event, also held at the Arboretum in
November, 2007.Utilizing "Open Space" group action methodology, the participants themselves designed and convened 17 half-hour, topic-specific sessions in service of the theme. Participants included students from regional middle school, high school and higher-education institutions. Local, State, and Federal government representatives took part, along with participants from private industry and non-profit organizations, and community activists. A full listing of participants and contact information is in a separate link on this site, as is the data and action items resulting from each session. On-going collaboration and action toward sustainability goals for the region is occurring as a result of the Summit. This site is designed to facilitate, serve, and report on those efforts. Sustainability Strategies LLC, as the stewardship team for SAM, facilitated the Summit, and provides on-going pro-bono services to SAM, as a public service to the region. |