March 11-15: Sustainability Symposium | Open Records 101 | Globe Dye Confidential | Feed Cities Conference

Symposium: DVGBC PA/NJ Sustainability Symposium

March 12, 7:45am-1:30pm. Temple University Performing Arts Center, 1837 North Broad Street. The Delaware Valley Green Building Council hosts its third annual Sustainability Symposium to spread best practices and smart ideas in sustainability across the Delaware Valley. Keynote speakers for this year’s symposium are Mark Alan Hughes (PennDesign Professor of Practice & Advisor to the Provost on Sustainability, Innovation and Policy), James C. Fish, Jr. (Waste Management, CFO), and Rob Powelson ( Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission chairman). Plus 24 education sessions covering topics like sustainable business models, LEED, green schools, and electric cars. Walk-ins accepted. $49, $29 for DVGBC Chapter Members, $10 for students with ID.

Panel: Open Records 101: Your Guide to Open Government

Tuesday, March 12. 7pm doors open, 7:15-8:30 discussion. WHYY Hamilton Public Media Commons. 150 North 6th Street.  Learn about “sunshine laws” (which give citizens the right to access government documents), what kinds of documents are public and how to go about getting what you’re looking for. Participating in this discussion about accessing and using public records are: Bill Allison from the Sunlight Foundation, Terry Mutchler from Pennsylvania’s Office of Open Records, Marc Pfeiffer, formerly of the state of New Jersey, and WHYY reporters Dave Davies and Holly Otterbein. $5, free for NewsWorks/WHYY members. Register online.

Lecture: Globe Dye Confidential

Tuesday, March 12, 7:30-9pm. Historical Society of Frankford, 1507 Orthodox St. The Historical Society of Frankford’s Annual Meeting will include a special presentation by Artist Cheryl Harper called “Globe Dye Confidential: Divergent Paths of Two Founding Families.” Harper created the art installation Catagenesis at Globe Dye Works last fall and in the process familiarized herself with the factory’s history and the wild tales of the founding families. The evening is also an opportunity to meet the Society’s directors and get a behind the scenes tour of the society’s 1930s building, museum and library. Free.

Conference: Feeding Cities: Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World

Wednesday, March 13- Friday, March 15. University of Pennsylvania, Houston Hall, 3417 Spruce Street. How will we feed the world’s rapidly urbanizing population? Along with nine schools at Penn, Penn Institute for Urban Research is hosting this international conference to explore the critical nexus between urbanization, sustainability and food security. $25, $5 for Penn staff/students/faculty and students with ID. Register online.