Audubon International's Joanna Nadeau to Give Keynote Address at UNESCO Celebration

Online, June 18, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Joanna Nadeau, Associate Director of Environmental Programs at Audubon International, will deliver the keynote address at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of UNESCO's Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve in Parry Sound, Ontario. The event will take place Monday, June 23rd at 7:00pm at the Stockey Centre and will include a public showcase followed by a reception.

Nadeau will present insights and examples from Audubon International's Sustainable Communities Program, which helps communities take steps to ensure that communities are healthy and vibrant places to live, work, and play-both today and tomorrow. She will discuss how the program can help the Biosphere's communities protect natural, economic, and social capital through practical tools, technical advice, and public recognition of success. In addition, she will talk about Audubon International's Green Lodging Program and Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf.

Dr. Becky Pollock, communications manager for the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve, believes that developing a "sense of place" for the area to guide development plans is very important for the future of the area's communities. "Over the next ten years, I can see Parry Sound area and the surrounding municipalities taking great steps towards a conservation economy in terms of cost-savings operations, planning and design, public participation in reducing greenhouse emissions, and building more jobs around green engineering and energy, local farming and value-added food production, ecotourism, education, and research."

"The UNESCO Biosphere Reserves of southern Ontario are leading an effort to engage communities in their region in developing sustainable tourism initiatives. Audubon International is pleased to have the opportunity to share best practices from our certified communities like Williamston, NC, and Eufaula, Alabama, who have had success balancing conservation of their environmental assets with economic development," said Nadeau.

Tickets for the Biosphere Celebration on Monday, June 23rd are $15 at the door or are available by calling the Stockey Centre at 877.746.4466 or contacting [email protected]. Nadeau will also offer a special workshop on Tuesday, June 24th at 8:30 am at the Log Cabin Inn for interested golf course managers, tourism operators, municipalities, and their public works departments. These events are part of a series of presentations Nadeau is giving around Ontario, and will be followed later in the week by presentations in Simcoe at the Long Point Biosphere Reserve and in Gananoque at the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve.

About Audubon International
Audubon International is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) environmental education organization dedicated to providing people with the education and assistance they need to practice responsible management of land, water, wildlife, and other natural resources. To meet this mission, the organization provides training, services, and a set of award-winning environmental education and certification programs for individuals, organizations, properties, new developments, and entire communities. To find out more, visit www.auduboninternational.org.