The 2016 Tribal Green Summit

The 2016 Tribal Green Summit was held on March 8-9, 2016 at the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington. The Snoqualmie tribe hosted the event, which was sponsored by EPA. The conference aimed to bring together tribal members, and "green" professionals to talk about how greener chemistry, green building, and renewable energy technology can be utilized by tribes. Attendees listen to two days of talks on new ideas and technology, and "green successes" in building on reservations and tribal lands.

Jill Tepe, Continuing Education Coordinator for the Northwest Center, spoke to conference attendees about DEOHS's efforts in green chemistry and sustainability as well as outreach activities and resources available through the department. Jill informed attendees about the Green Labs Project, which brought sustainable practices such as materials substitutions and recycling to all 20 DEOHS labs. She also spoke about the NIEHS Worker Training Program, which offers career training to youth in underserved communities who are interested in pursuing environmental careers and the UW STAC-TEC (Sustainable Technologies, Alternate Chemistry-Training and Ed Center) and MoDRN (Molecular Design Research Network) initiatives. Jill presented her talk in conjunction with representatives from Northwest Green Chemistry and the Pacific Northwest Pollution Prevention Resource Network who spoke on selecting greener materials for building, and green cleaning products.