ORLANDO, FL - 05.13.09 - Florida will solidify its position as a front-runner in sustainability next Wednesday morning with the unveiling of the Orange County Convention Center’s new one-megawatt photovoltaic (PV) system, the largest rooftop solar installation in the Southeast. Solar paneling will span the length of five and a half football fields, generating 1,300 megawatt-hours of electricity per year - greatly reducing the center’s carbon footprint and electricity costs.

The new PV system was made possible by a $2,500,000 grant provided by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's Florida Renewable Technologies Grant. Additional support for the project was provided by the OUC, EDC and US Dept of Energy bringing the total amount of funding to $8.8 Million.
Mayor Richard T. Crotty of Orange County and City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer along with Senator Lee Constantine will convene with hundreds of community and business leaders to "flip the switch" on the new system on Wednesday May 20th at 8:30 am in the South Building of the OCCC.

The unveiling will kick off the Green Cities Florida Conference, a two-day event providing fresh, innovative and useful information to businesses, communities and governments interested in embarking on the road to sustainability or improving their current efforts. The Green Cities Florida Conference aims to empower decision-makers to understand the full range of options available to protect the environment, save money and enrich their communities through sustainable practices.

Participants are invited to follow any of seven specialized tracks, including Growing Florida's Green Economy, Greening Your Business A-Z, Greening Government, Green Cities: Planning, Design and Construction, Understanding & Responding to Climate Change, Wise Business Choices in a Changing Economy, and Green Hospitality, Events and Facilities. Green Cities Florida attendees are also offered social and professional networking opportunities throughout the conference, in addition to green training courses.

Contributing Sponsors include: Advanced Solar Photonics, OUC and Permapave; Media Sponsors are EcoFactory, CSRwire, Sustainability; The Journal of Record and ENS.

ABOUT GREEN CITIES FLORIDA
Green Cities(TM) is produced by Seven-Star, Inc., an EPA award winning green event and green education expert. Green Cities(TM) Florida offers ideas, products, and services that provide business and government with the necessary tools and resources to make a shift toward sustainable practices. Topics range from green building to clean technology; organic agriculture to green investments; fair trade to the sustainable supply chain; and, integrating sustainability into corporate culture.

For more information, please visit www.greencitiesflorida.com and greencitiesmedia.com

Green Cities

Green Cities

Green Cities™ events are educational platforms uniquely focused on regional markets (in the US, state by state) designed to equip business and government with practical steps, relevant case studies and strategic plans and tools for getting started down the path of sustainability. Green Cities™ comes in the formats appropriate to the needs of our host government or regional host ambassador; from “Planning Summits” to “Bootcamps.” Learn more about hosting a Green Cities™.

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