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Brownfields 2009

There are more than 400,000 brownfields in the United States. (Brownfield, n., a property abandoned because of the presence of a contaminant.) That's nearly $2 trillion of underused or undervalued land. The investors, developers, and officials at Brownfields 2009 will discuss ways to revitalize these sites. Doing so can add a punch of green to both the environment and the economy. For example, with an EPA cleanup grant, the Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana is building a new lab facility on a Shreveport brownfield. The $25 million project will eventually create 300 new jobs. -- SS

mon, november 16
Restore
Brownfields 2009
New Orleans

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APEC Singapore 2009

"Four adjectives in search of a noun." That's how former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans once described Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, the loose association of 21 countries around the Pacific Rim. Glancing at the agenda for this year's summit -- where Barack Obama will make his APEC debut -- it's easy to see why: There's a leaders' meeting (to set "the strategic direction of APEC"), an unveiling ceremony for a Berlin Wall installation ("to commemorate the founding of APEC," which also happened in 1989, though nowhere near the Berlin Wall), and a 20th anniversary symposium ("to reflect on the founding of APEC"). We'd pat APEC on the back for setting this up, but we're pretty sure they've got that covered. -- DM

sat, november 14
Pontificate
APEC Singapore 2009
Singapore

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Congress of Cities

Public officials seem to spend lots of time -- and public money -- jetting here and there, attending this conference or that, networking with one another. What good does it do? Quite a bit, says Mayor Ted Ellis of Bluffton, Indiana. A few years back, Ellis met Charles Penny, assistant city manager of Rocky Mount, North Carolina, at this National League of Cities convention. Rocky Mount had just recovered from a flood. Later, when Ellis found his own city facing a flood, he remembered Penny. "As a mayor, the first thing you really want to do is jump in and start picking up sticks, but I sat down and called Charles," Ellis said. "By taking his advice, we saved tens of thousands of dollars and better utilized our own resources and time." That's community. -- SS

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Productronica

Innovative production techniques for electronics -- and the microelectronics inside those electronics -- are the focus of this 40,000-person trade show, the largest global gathering of its kind. We hope that some exhibitors will be showing breakthroughs meant to slash the industry's toxicity. For all the talk of our carbon footprint, we often neglect our cadmium and lead ones. Each year, the UN says, we produce up to 50 million tons of electronic waste -- that's 205 million computers, 140 million cell phones, and 27 million TVs in the Dumpster -- laden with heavy metals and toxic chemicals. That sobering thought is (almost) enough to snuff out the glow of our new Kindle. -- ZW

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
Plug In
Productronica
Munich, Germany

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KioskCom Self-Service Expo

We're entering the age of the kiosk: By 2013, self- service transactions could top $1.5 trillion. DIY machines are fueling profit growth at companies such as Coinstar, which bought DVD-rental leader Redbox and its 15,000 locations last year and expects 2009 revenues of $1.3 billion, up 43% from 2008. Kiosks are getting fancier, too, allowing more options than the traditional vending machine, "whose sole purpose was to dispense cold beverages," says Coca-Cola global marketing manager Anthony Phillips. He says today's high-tech kiosks "create a digital space where consumers can interact with products," putting the "custom" into customer. -- DM

TUES, NOVEMBER 10
Vend
KioskCom Self-Service Expo
New York

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20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

When pro-democracy protesters smashed through the Berlin Wall 20 years ago, they shattered Communism's grip on Central and Eastern Europe. But not all the region's residents will be celebrating this anniversary. According to a recent survey, up to 40% of them believe that life was better before the fall of the wall, a feeling fueled by high unemployment rates and tepid wage growth; in 1989, the average Central European's income was half of a Western European's, and today, it's 60%. Before yearning for the good old days, though, the nostalgic should heed Jan Grzebski, a Polish railway worker who fell unconscious in 1988 and woke up 19 years later. "When I went into a coma, meat was rationed." Now, he said, "there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin... . I've got nothing to complain about." -- TB

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 09
Democratize
20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

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American Public Health Association Annual Meeting

The APHA's choice of water as its theme this year -- the "21st-century challenge," the group says -- may make you think of drought in India or desertification in Africa. But it wants you to think about you: A clean water supply is becoming a major problem in industrialized countries. The aging pipes in the U.S.'s creaky water system could potentially corrode in as little as 20 years, according to water expert Tim Ford of the University of New England. There are already some 240,000 water-main breaks each year, with 1.7 trillion gallons of water lost. To fix the system, we'll need to invest more than $200 billion over the next two decades. This year's federal stimulus plan ponied up just $6 billion -- a drop in the proverbial bucket. -- ACL

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UFO Crash Retrieval Conference

Aliens are good for American innovation. No, we're not talking about low-wage migrants, but the little green men who keep crashing into the desert. A few brave UFO spotters at this conspiracy congress will explain how the military has used tech salvaged from space wrecks to develop gravity-defying drones. (Warning: That may not be true.) Of course, these truth seekers never know if the Men in Black are listening, so it's understandable that organizers specify in the schedule that delegates eat "lunch on your own." As Agent Mulder said: Trust no one. -- TB

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 06
Search
UFO Crash Retrieval Conference
Las Vegas

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International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health

Is it ironic or just delightfully apropos that, for four days, the tony Caribe Hilton Hotel will swarm with academics, labor leaders, and HR types studying the vein-popping levels of angst currently afflicting employees? (Some 67% of adults say work is a major source of worry, according to the American Psychological Association, up from 62% a year ago.) We're sure all that anxious chatter will raise attendees' stress levels. Mercifully, they'll be able to soothe themselves in the venue's "beautiful oceanfront swimming pools" and "17 acres of lush tropical gardens," or doze off in "hammocks next to the secluded beach." If only all workplaces were this serene. -- THEUNIS BATES

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 05
Chill
International Conference on Occupational Stress and Health

San Juan, Puerto Rico

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World Architecture Festival

Cars and airplanes may get tarred with a reputation as energy hogs, but the biggest culprits are buildings. Keeping our offices and homes lit, heated, and cooled accounts for a staggering 72% of electricity consumption and 38% of all carbon emissions in the U.S. That explains why green building is now more than just a trend -- it's becoming a requirement. At this year's World Architecture Festival, nearly all of the showcased projects were designed with sustainability in mind. For instance, New Zealand's Yellow Treehouse Restaurant was built halfway up a redwood with locally harvested wood beams. Eco-consciousness is adding a new layer to how we erect structures, says program director Paul Finch: "It's changing the way people fundamentally think about buildings" and how we regard environments -- not just the ones we construct but also those we disrupt in the process. -- ANNE C. LEE

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 04
Build
World Architecture Festival
Barcelona, Spain

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