Those interested in attending the 10th annual NC BREATHE Conference “dedicated to strengthening community health and environmental resilience across North Carolina” in Charlotte this fall can take advantage of early bird registration.
Cost to attend the in-person event scheduled for Oct. 8-9 at the Harris Conference Center in Charlotte is $350 until July 31, when the rate will increase to $450. Student rate is $100 and for impacted community members. Registration, which can be completed on the organization’s website, includes breakfast, lunch, and light snacks for both days of the conference.
Supporter Spotlight
Organized by CleanAIRE NC, AIRE stands for Action and Innovation to Restore the Environment, the Charlotte-based advocacy group “is working to protect North Carolina’s air quality and ensure that people have clean air to live healthier, happier lives.”
Keynote speakers include Dr. Sacoby Wilson, Dr. Shaneeta M. Johnson and Charles Lee.
Wilson is a professor with the Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the University of Maryland, College Park School of Public Health where directs The Health, Environmental, and Economic Justice, called THE EJ Lab.
Johnson is an associate professor of surgery, director of the Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Program, and Residency Associate Program director at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Lee has been a name in environmental justice for five decades. He spent two of those decades with the Environmental Protection Agency, most recently serving as deputy associate assistant administrator for Environmental Justice. According to a LinkedIn post, Lee’s last day with the federal agency was March 31.
Supporter Spotlight
The theme for this year’s two-day event “explores the intersection of planetary and human health and community resilience. Planetary health highlights how human activities significantly impact our environment, which in turn affects our health and well-being,” organizers said. “Building community resilience — the capacity to adapt and recover from environmental disruptions like natural disasters or climate change — is crucial for withstanding threats to planetary health and tackling global challenges like climate change.”
ClearAIRE NC has hosted the annual NC BREATHE Conference since 2015 in various cities around the state.
