The Year of Local Food 

The annual event will give local growers a chance to showcase the fruits of their labor

CLEVELAND– On Thursday, September 20, 2012 at 8:15 a.m., Mayor Frank G. Jackson will welcome more than 500 local business leaders, government officials, non-profit leaders, students and educators, to his fourth annual Sustainability Summit: Sustainable Cleveland 2019. 

The two day event will be held at Cleveland Public Auditorium and goes until Friday, September 21, 2012. Mayor Jackson began Sustainable Cleveland 2019 (SC2019) in 2009 as a way to involve the entire community in developing and implementing a 10-year economic development strategy and to transform the local economy into a sustainable one by 2019. The annual summit provides a venue to update the community on key local and regional accomplishments and the progress of current initiatives, as well as influence public policy to support the growth of a sustainable economy inCleveland. 

Thursday’s keynote address will be delivered by Jeremy Rifkin, president of the Foundation on Economic Trends.  On Friday there will be two speakers, keynote speaker Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and featured speaker Janine Benyus, President of the Biomimicry Institute.  

Each year theSummithas a guiding principle, this year is Local Foods- next year’s theme is the Year of Advanced and Renewable Energy.

WHO: Mayor Frank G. Jackson and Jenita McGowan, Chief of Sustainability

WHAT:  2012 SustainabilitySummit

WHEN:  Thursday, September 20, 2012 and Friday, September 21, 2012

    8 am - 5 pm

WHERE: ClevelandPublic Auditorium500 Lakeside Avenue

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