The Brownfields 2021 Call for Ideas has closed.

The Brownfields 2021 Call for Ideas closed on March 8th, 2021. Contact Will Fricke (wfricke@icma.org) with questions. 

Before every conference, we invite the Brownfields community to submit ideas for dynamic educational sessions that encourage conversation and participation from fellow attendees. A great Brownfields 2021 educational program will motivate brownfields stakeholders to engage, learn, and share their experiences and knowledge of community revitalization challenges and solutions. If you have a brownfields success story or knowledge and experience in brownfields topics, this is your chance to share it with your colleagues.

A priority of the National Brownfields Training Conference is promoting diversity and raising awareness and understanding among our attendees and stakeholders of the vital role diversity plays in our communities and our economy. Therefore, we request that proposed speaker panels contribute to this mission.  Diversity across our speaker population contributes to enhancing participation, inclusion and leadership opportunities for brownfields stakeholders of diverse backgrounds. When our speakers and moderators reflect a diversity of backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual preference and tribal affiliation, we enhance our ability to educate our attendees on how diversity impacts the communities affected by brownfields.

Conference Topic Areas

  • Brownfield Assessment, Cleanups, and Redevelopment
  • Community Engagement and Empowerment
  • Creative Placemaking 
  • Equitable Development and Environmental Justice
  • Funding and Financing for Community Revitalization
  • International Programs and Policies
  • Environmental Liability and Enforcement
  • Opportunity Funds and Brownfields Revitalization Renewable Energy Alternatives
  • Resiliency and sustainability
  • Brownfields Strategies for Rural and Small Communities
  • Promoting Public Health through Brownfields Revitalization
  • Workforce Development and Job Training

Educational Session Formats

Note: Formats are subject to change based on future COVID-19 guidance.

Panel Discussions (60 minutes). Three speakers (with one moderating) deliver 15 to 20-minute visual presentations each. The moderator will leave enough time for Q&A with the audience at the end of the presentations.

  • Head table for two speakers on a riser, standing lectern on a riser, table for handouts & continuing education sign-in sheets
  • One wired microphone at standing lecturn, two wired microphones on head table, one wired microphone on stand in audience for questions
  • LCD projector, screen, and laptop provided for presentation

Roundtable Conversations (60 minutes). Our most interactive session, roundtables feature one or two experts guiding an interactive conversation with the audience around a focused topic. There is no audiovisual technology or formal presentations. Experts tee up the topic and then facilitate the conversation with the attendees.

  • Head table for two speakers on a riser, standing lectern on a riser, table for handouts & continuing education sign-in sheets
  • One wireless microphone at lectern, one wireless microphone in audience

Topic Talks (30 minutes). Adapted for adult learning, these sessions feature one speaker delivering a fifteen-minute presentation with 10 minutes devoted to Q&A with the attendees.

  • Standing lectern on floor with wireless microphone
  • LCD projector, screen, and laptop provided for presentation

Brownfields University (2-4 hours). Workshops will be offered on the first day of Brownfields 2021, before the EPA Regional Open Houses and the opening plenary.

  • Head table for two speakers on a riser, standing lectern on a riser, table for handouts & continuing education sign-in sheets
  • Two wired microphones on the head table, one wired microphone at the lectern, one wired microphone on stand in the audience for questions
  • LCD projector, screen, and laptop provided for presentation

Peaceful Pause. Would you like to share your yoga or meditation experience with your colleagues? Start your day in a calming way  as a leader of our first Peaceful Pause yoga and meditation sessions!

Power Breakfast. Taking a queue from TED Talks, we are looking for engaging and charismatic speakers whose talks expose new ideas that are supported by concrete evidence and are relevant to a broad audience. This talk is limited to a maximum length of 10 minutes and may be on any topic. 

Lunch & Learn. Have a Brownfields topic you’re passionate about? Join your colleagues for lunch and lead a table discussion on your Brownfields Hot Topic!

Format Specifications

Format Max. Audience Time Speakers Microphone Projector
Panel 150 1 hour 3 Yes Yes
Roundtable 125 1 hour 3 Yes No
Topic Talk 50 30 minutes 1 Yes Yes
Brownfields University 150 2-4 hours 3* Yes Yes
Peaceful Pause 20 TBD 1 Yes TBD
Lunch & Learn 6 per table 1 hour 1 No No
Power Breakfast 800 10 minutes 1 Yes Yes

*Pre-Conference Trainings are often broken into multiple parts. We allow 3 simultaneous speakers, but the training may have more throughout.