Vision
Authenticity advances sustainability for Florida's future.
The Sustainable & Authentic Florida Conference inquires into issues that require attention as Florida emerges from economic distress. Development that depends on exploiting clean water, clean air, the diversity of species and web of life challenges our existence. We need a better thought through organizing principle. Accordingly, the conference is about "placemaking," which is to say, economies organized around places that protect irreplaceable natural and cultural resources. Such places can be called both sustainable and authentic, i.e., vital to our continued existence. When we focus on the integrity of where we live, we organize "economies of climate prosperity" that encourage re-imagining the good life, different from unbridled consumption, and new thinking about how to proceed with climate change. New thinking about what makes life good intensifies in these hard times, especially among young people freshly out of college and with few job opportunities. As the Internet news service Excite reported last month about young adults in the marketplace,"Burdened with college debt or toiling in temporary, lower-wage positions, they are spurning homeownership in the suburbs for shorter-term, no-strings-attached apartment living, public transit and proximity to potential jobs in larger cities. . . The share of 16- to 39-year-olds with driver's licenses has declined markedly. . . Planners and developers are betting on young Americans' continued interest in urban living, sensing that some longer-term changes such as decreased reliance on cars may be afoot." Also in June, writer Alita Tugend reported in The New York Times about the changing values of success, "The problem is that we have such a limited view of what we consider an accomplished life that we devalue many qualities that are critically important." Tugend quotes corporate leadership consulting firm co-founder Jeff Snipes, that "You make a lot of money or have athletic success. That's a very, very narrow definition. What about being compassionate or living a life of integrity?" Who says we can't live comfortably while our rewards don't necessarily lead to opulence but to the rewards of living sustainably? Sustainable & Authentic Florida asks these questions focused on civics and the humanities. Conference speakers and presenters about our featured places are all authoritative, but they appear at the conference in an inter-disciplinary way. Conference registrants are equally diverse. We will meet together to ask questions and gain confidence about finding answers. Herb Hiller, Conference Director herbhiller12@gmail.com Caroline McKeon, Conference Associate Director caroline@floridajourneys.com | 
