Embedded Files
2025 COE
Thank You!
Our 2025 COE was a
HUGE SUCCESS!
Innovations: Solutions for a Changing Environment
Innovations: Solutions for a Changing Environment
October 24 – 25, 2025 at Best Western Plus in Kingston, NY
Open to CACs, Climate Task Forces, EMCs and the General Public
Ulster County NYSACC members got into high gear to create a memorable program of plenaries, workshops and field trips to inform and inspire your work. The conference explored key trends, innovations, policies and strategies for staying on top of the issues in our communities. And, included time outdoors in beautiful Ulster County with great weather!
The 2025 COE explored issues in materials and waste management, energy transition, food systems, and open space. Innovation is everywhere. The COE informed about emerging trends, expanded our skills, and grew our network of trusted sources of guidance.
Like to join our mailing list?
Email us at conference@nysacc.org
Stephen Posner
Dinner Reception Keynote
Dinner Reception Keynote
Stephen Posner
Director, Pathways to Planetary Health Program, Garrison Institute
Innovation Beyond Technical Fixes:
Stephen Posner
Director, Pathways to Planetary Health Program, Garrison Institute
Innovation Beyond Technical Fixes:
Building Trust and Vision for Environmental Leadership
Building Trust and Vision for Environmental Leadership
Stephen Posner drew on his work in science, policy, and community resilience to explore innovative approaches to addressing the complex environmental challenges we face. Through stories from the Hudson Valley and beyond – from serving on the Town of Marbletown's Environmental Conservation Commission in Ulster County, to engaging with the White House on federal integration of ecosystem services in D.C. – Stephen highlighted the importance of trust, credibility, presence, and relationship in advancing bold, visionary goals at the intersection of people and nature. Stephen invited participants to look deeply into the landscape beyond technical fixes to build comfort and sophistication in relational approaches and systems thinking – reminding us that the success of our work depends not only on the solutions we propose, but on how we show up for the work itself. Participants were encouraged to innovate in how they communicate across differences, cultivate and sustain strategic collaborations, and embrace the visionary dimension of their advisory roles.
Conference Agenda
Thursday October 23rd, 2025
Informal Gathering 5:00-7:00pm
Blue Duck Brewing Company, Kingston
79 Hurley Ave, Kingston, NY 12401
*Pay Your Own Way
https://www.blueduckbrewing.com/
Friday October 24th, 2025
See Full Schedule below and HERE
Exhibitor and Vendor Showcase - All Day
Breakfast and Welcoming Remarks
Roundtable Presentation by Conservation Advisory Councils and Climate Smart Committees
Sharing Successes - A Casual Roundtable Discussion
Seven CAC reps presented case studies that resulted in a positive outcome in their community. CACs and environmental committees from across the state joined in our Roundtable discussions afterward to discuss and share their own success stories, resources and ideas.
Theme 1
Circularity
Morning
Innovating Materials Management: From Data and Policy to Community Practice
Kathryn Walker, ED, Center for Sustainable Materials Management
Melissa Young, Environmental Finance Center
Re-POWER: A Reuse Innovation Center and Circular Economy Strategic Plan
Tim Weidemann, UCRRA Coordinator of Performance and Development
Afternoon
Organics Processing Pathways
Moderated by Marc Rider, Executive Director, Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency
Biochar - Bill Hilgendorf, NY Carbon
Biogas - Kathy Puffer, Biogas Education Hub
Composting - Cary Oshins, US Composting Council board
Building with Biomaterials: Revitalizing Rural Economies
Stephen Stuart, Yestermorrow Design Build School
Theme 2
Open Space and Land Use
Morning:
New NYS Wetland Regulations
Krista Spohr, Wetlands Outreach Coordinator, NYSDEC Bureau of Ecosystem Health
Keeping Nature Connected
Laura Heady, NYSDEC, Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Mikael Cetin, Staying Connected Initiative
Afternoon:
Using Community Preservation Funds to Protect Open Space
Laura Heady, NYSDEC, Hudson River Estuary Program and Cornell University
Carli Fraccarolli, Government Relations Manager, Scenic Hudson
Julie Noble, Project Manager and Sustainability Coordinator, City of Kingston
Michael Sweeton, Community Liaison for the Orange County Land Trust and Former Supervisor, Town of Warwick
Room Enough for Both: Why It Makes Sense for Conservationists and Affordable Housing Groups to Collaborate
Steve Rosenberg, Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation
Rebecca Gillman Crimmins, Hudson Valley Alliance for Housing & Conservation
Adam Bosch, President and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress
Theme 3
Energy Transition
Morning
Why Agrivoltaics are the Better Solution
Jared Buono, Director, Cornell's Hudson Valley Research Laboratory
lain Ward, CEO, Solar Agricultural Services, Inc. (SolAg)
Linda Garret, Regional Director, American Farmland Trust's NY & NJ
Meghan Welborn, Lightstar Renewables, LLC
Safe and connected energy storage is the linchpin of the energy transition
Evan VanHook, Viridi Inc.
Afternoon
Alternative fuels for a Sustainable Energy Society
Chulsung Bae, PhD., Associate Director of Center for Future Energy Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Geoengineering Climate: Fiction or necessary Fact
Beate Liepert, PhD., Environmental Studies and Physics Bard College
---
NYSACC Board and Annual Meeting
Networking Happy Hour
Evening Dinner and Keynote Speaker
Stephen Posner, Director of the Pathways to Planetary Health initiative at the Garrison Institute
NYSACC Awards
Field Trips
Saturday October, 25th
Morning options (8:15am-11:45am)
Phenology Research at Mohonk Preserve; includes 3.5mi hike
Community Composting Facility and Hudson Valley Seed Company
Afternoon options (12:30-3:30pm)
Green Facilities at Golden Hill: Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) Bus Garage Electrification
Cornell’s Hudson Valley Research Laboratory (CHVRL)
Field Trips - link for more details
Conference Rate:
General Admission $125
Includes Friday breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Saturday field trips and lunch
NYSACC Members* & Students:
Discounts/Sponsorships Available!
*Current Dues Paying NYSACC Members receive 20% Discount
Virtual rate, Friday only: $10
HAVE A GROUP YOU WANT TO REGISTER?: Each registration must be tied to a unique email address. Please register for each person with separate transactions.
NEED TO PAY BY CHECK? Please email conference@nysacc.org for details on how to register.
Hotel Conference Rate:
Thursday Night, October 23rd, 2025: $139 (plus tax)
Friday Night, October 24th, 2025: $239 (plus tax)
Tax will be waived for those who provide their tax exemption certificates at check-in.
No minimum stay required. Reservations can also be made by calling the hotel directly (845) 338- 0400 and ask for the group by name: NYSACC.
Rooms are double occupancy. If you would like to coordinate with another conference attendee to share a room (and save $$), email conference@nysacc.org.
Additional accommodations in the area can be found courtesy of: Ulster County Chamber of Commerce
Looking for activities to plan? Visit the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce to learn more about the area.
Neil Rindlaub & Kathy Adorney
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse