Building on the success of Grey to Green: A Conference on the Economics of Green Infrastructure in 2013, Green Roofs for Healthy Cities is now planning Grey to Green for 2014. This two-day conference focuses on the health benefits of green infrastructure – for our economy, our ecosystem and our community. Grey to Green will bring together leading edge thinkers and doers across a diverse range of fields which reveal the intersection of health and green infrastructure protection and development.

Designers, engineers, policy makers, developers, utility managers, conservationists, healthcare professionals, horticulturalists, contractors, urban farmers, academics, all share important opportunities to advance the social, economic and ecosystem health of our communities by utilizing living green infrastructure such as urban forests, green roofs and walls, bioswales, rain gardens, meadowlands, and wetlands. Grey to Green will bring to light many of the important scientific, design, economic and policy advancements in the green infrastructure field.

Important advancements have occurred recently in our scientific understanding of the important role that these technologies play, particularly in urban regions, regarding the maintenance of our physical and mental health. With more and more people living in high rise developments, the integration of green infrastructure is becoming increasingly important.

The policy environment with respect to green infrastructure is also rapidly changing, with many jurisdictions in the United States in particular recognizing the multiple benefits of green infrastructure with incentives, regulations and investment. Private sector developers and designers are realizing that the design and development of buildings and sites can have a dramatic impact on the bottom line. Utility managers are looking increasingly to green infrastructure to conserve energy and manage stormwater to prevent flooding and combined sewer overflow events.

The conference theme is Environment vs Economy: Resolving the Dichotomy.

Leading experts from across North America will be brought together to explore the relationship between the environment and economy and the perceived dichotomy between having a healthy environment and having a thriving economy. Experts include:

Robert Sandford, Director of the Western Watersheds Research Collaborative, is a leading thinker on the impact of climate change on freshwater resources.

Elena Bennett, from McGill University, studies the connection between ecosystem services and human well-being.

Terre Satterfield is an anthropologist at UBC whose work focuses on culture and justice as they influence environmental values.

Daniel Simberloff, from the University of Tennessee, is a leading terrestrial ecologist and expert on the biology of invasive species.

Peter Victor, from York University, is an economist who works on environmental issues.

These presenters will draw on their experiences in the sciences and the arts, bringing together perspectives from economics, anthropology, ecology and public policy arenas. Can we balance the conservation of nature with our need to have a strong economy so that we may live healthy and prosperous lives? Do we need to accept a weak economy so that we may have environmental sustainability? Can we afford to fight climate change? Or can we afford not to fight it?

Renowned Canadian wildlife artist, naturalist and conservationist, Robert Bateman, will be the keynote speaker on the evening of the first day. He is a passionate advocate for environmental education and his art speaks eloquently about the value of nature.

The two-day summit will feature presentations by each of the experts and will culminate in a panel discussion hosted by CBC’s Paul Kennedy (with subsequent broadcast on his award-winning program Ideas). At a time when the world is changing rapidly and pressing global environmental and economic challenges abound, an in-depth exploration of the ways in which environment and economics might interact is both timely and important.