YPSILANTI – You’re invited to the Great Lakes Renewable Energy Association’s membership networking event May 26 at SPARK East in Ypsilanti. Meet GLREA members, industry professionals and entrepreneurs in renewable and alternative energy. Make new contacts in this exploding field and meet members of the GLREA board of directors. Learn from technology, policy and business development experts.

Presenter: Soji Adeleja, PhD, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in Land Policy and Director, Land Policy Institute, Michigan State University, with joint faculty appointments as professor in the department of Agricultural Economics; Department of Geography; and Department of Community, Agricultural and Recreational Resource Studies. A committed land grant scholar, Dr. Adeleja�??s work has shaped public policy toward agriculture and other land-based industries at the urban fringe. He is the founder and first director of the Food Policy Institute (FPI), the Food Innovation Research and Outreach Center (FIRE) and the Ecopolicy Center.

Adeleja will be speaking on wind energy and the role of the Land Policy Institute (LPI). In conjunction with state policy favorable to wind energy development, such as the passage of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a clear understanding of the best areas for wind development is vital. LPI has taken a first step in helping the wind energy industry identify suitable areas for development by developing the Wind Prospecting Tool. The wind prospecting tool has been used to map wind resources in Michigan. Adelaja will also talk about issues being addressed by the wind zoning board and the technology challenge of efficiently storing renewable energy.

Adeleja’s interests include:

Land use policy, including the political economy of up-zoning and down-zoning

Agricultural policy at the urban fringe, including innovative approaches to open space preservation

Characteristics of vibrant urban communities

Economic development of food and natural resource-based industries

Emerging issues in the food industry

Strategic planning, capacity building & innovation transfer in higher education

Date: Tuesday, May 26

Time: 5 – 7 p.m. (networking and registration 5-5:15 p.m.; presentation 5:15-6:00 p.m., introductions and networking 6-7 p.m.)

Location: SPARK East, 215 W. Michigan Avenue, Ypsilanti

Cost: Free to GLREA members; $20 prospective members �?? everyone welcome

Register at GLREA.Org

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