Yesterday a number of younger delegates assembled at ICLEI’s request to scope out a possible Youth/Next Gen initiative for young leaders. (Daveberta has written a great synopsis.) A few of us put together a resolution today and we’ll see what the reception at the main meeting is like tomorrow.

At Fort Edmonton (from left): ICLEI Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann; Cllr. Cathy Oke from Melbourne, Aus.; Ald. Dominic Mishio from Leduc, AB; Cllr. Sebastian Müller from Freiburg, Germany; Eero Vainio from Lahti, Norway; yours truly; and Vancouver Cllr. David Cadman, who is also President of ICLEI.

Many delegates were impressed with our Youth Council and Next Gen initiatives. At least a few dozen attended Pecha Kucha Night IV last night and were very complimentary today. I thoroughly enjoyed it too, particularly Trevor Anderson’s That’s Edmonton For You presentation and Stephani Carter’s inspired rhyme about sustainability.

Conference sessions today were focused on solutions, new technology, and propelling change. Peter Neuman, who is giving a public talk on Thursday, spoke enticingly about integrating TODs, PODs and GODs – meaning Transit Oriented Development, Pedestrian OD and Green OD.

The day was capped with a wonderful BBQ down at ol’ reliable Fort Edmonton. A spontaneous conga line broke out at Kelly’s Saloon on 1885 street. Seeing 200 or more ICLEI Delegates take line dancing lessons was pretty entertaining too.

A highlight for me was a conversation with a young delegate from Iowa who said, “I’d move here. It’s great!” She meant Edmonton, not Fort Edmonton, so that was nice. She went on to talk about the people, the river valley, the infrastructure, the various environmental initiatives, and more.

Positive feedback like this gives me hope that we’re doing some things right.

I think our city really is on the cusp of something compelling, something positive, and hopefully something greener than we have seen so far. This ICLEI event could propel a lot of change. Lots of conversation with locals about how we capture this energy and put it to work at home in a lasting way. Lots of bright eyes and hope, starting with our mayor and stretching to all the volunteers who’ve rallied to make this event so very special.