Overview
Join us
September 24 and 25
for the 8th regional Consumer Issues
Conference at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. Watch this site
for new information coming soon!
Topics Include
The 2008 Consumer Issues Conference features the dual
topics of energy and telecommunications. Our aim is to
increase awareness of informational and policy resources
from experts’ presentations, exhibits and poster
sessions. Sessions planned for 2008 include:
-
Federal Trade Commission regulations on energy and telecommunications by Dee Pridgen of UW’s College of Law,
-
Wyoming’s future energy options by Mark Northam, Director of UW’s School of Energy Resources,
-
Energy and sustainability by Eric Arnould of the University of Wyoming,
-
Ethanol - Good or Bad for Consumers? by Tim Burkink of
the University of Nebraska at Kearney,
- Policy in energy and telecommunications, and a
- A multi-session theme on energy saving buildings
covering topics related to house building techniques,
benefits & criticisms of LEED certification (Leadership
in Energy and Environmental Design) and the need for a
statewide building energy code.
Registration
Registration fees for the Consumer Issues Conference are
kept low so that cost is not barrier to attendance. The
early registration deadline is September 13. Registration
includes snacks and lunch.
General
Early registration:
$50
Late registration: $60
Seniors:
Early registration:
$40
Late registration: $50
Students:
Registration is free, lunch is $10.
Registration is not yet open.
To register by phone, call (877) 733-3618, ext. 2, or (307) 766-5249.
Featured Speaker
Felicity Barringer
– The New York Times, National Correspondent
(Environment)
Felicity Barringer was appointed national
correspondent (environment) for The New York Times in
September 2003. Previously, Ms. Barringer had been
United Nations bureau chief since February 2003. Before
that she had been a media reporter at The Times since
April 1998, covering stories such as the
Los Angeles
Times-Staples
Center controversy and the
merger of the Tribune Company and Times Mirror.
Call for Posters
Do you have a poster you
would like to present on research or a project related
to the conference themes? Submit your 300 word or less
abstract by Monday, 23 June 2008. Information is on the
submission
guidelines sheet.
Special Events
A special discussion
and speaker will be held the evening of Wednesday, 24
September 2008. Look for details in the near future. A
field trip will be offered on Friday morning to visit green
building practices.
Resources and Exhibits
Exhibitors are welcome to reserve a table at the conference
to display information of use to participants. To request
exhibit space, complete the "Call
for Conference Exhibitors" Form.
Biobased Industry Outlook Conference,
September 7-10 at Iowa State University (Ames, IA).
http://www.bioeconomyconference.org/.
The 2008 Growing the Bioeconomy
Conference will focus on strategies to achieve the new
federal cellulosic biofuels mandate and advance the
Midwestern Governors Association energy and climate change
platform. Tracks include feedstock development;
bioprocessing; utilization; economics and policy; human,
social and community development dimensions of the
bioeconomy; and biofuels and climate change.
An Outbreak of Caring: Stung by Complaints, Telecoms Stress
Customer Service (The Washington
Post, 30 April 2008)
Fuel Economy
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
As the price of fuel continues to rise, this site continues
to be as timely as when it first came online in October
1999. The site is maintained by the US Department of
Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and it provides
fuel-saving tips, fuel economy estimates, and so on.
Energy Resources,
Colorado
State University
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/energy/
Federal Communications Commission
http://www.fcc.gov/
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/
Governor's Energy Office (Colorado)
www.colorado.gov/energy
www.colorado.gov/energy
Hear Us Now,
http://www.hearusnow.org/
A Consumers Union website on communications issues and
choices.
Hydrogen Implementation Conference
July 22-24 , Laramie, WY
www.mountainstateshydrogen.com
The Mountain States Hydrogen Business Council’s 4th Annual
Hydrogen Implementation Conference will feature prominent
international experts speaking on the global importance of
hydrogen energy. The conference will bring together
technology experts, industrial leaders, academia, financial
investors and policy supporters to share information and
ideas on speeding up the progress toward the use of
hydrogen.
25 x '25 Coalition.
http://www.25x25.org/
The Coalition envisions that by 2025,
America's farms, forests and ranches
will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the
United States. 25x'25 is
supported financially by the Energy Future Coalition, a
non-partisan public policy initiative funded by foundations.
US Green Building
Council - LEED certification
http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CategoryID=19
The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP)
http://www.swenergy.org/factsheets/index.html
SWEEP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting
greater energy efficiency in
Arizona, Colorado,
Nevada, New Mexico,
Utah, and Wyoming. On their website are a number of
useful factsheets.
Utah Committee of Consumer Services
http://ccs.utah.gov/
Qwest
http://www.qwest.com/
College of Business & Technology at the
University
of Nebraska
at Kearney
http://www.unk.edu/acad/bt/
School of Energy Resources, University of
Wyoming
http://www.uwyo.edu/ser/
Conference Hotel
The Planning Committee has set aside a block of rooms at a
nearby hotel for use by those registering for the
conference. The conference hotel is the
Comfort Inn located at
3420 E. Grand Ave.,
Laramie, WY 82070. The rate is $85.99 per night
plus taxes. You must make your own reservation and this must
be done by September 1 by calling (307) 721-8856 or (800)
228-5150.
Professional Credits
Various continuing education credits are expected to be
available:
-
American Association of Family & Consumer Sciences -
10 PDUs
-
CLE (Continuing Legal Education) - 7 hrs.
-
Professional Teaching Standards Board (PTSB) - 1/2
Credit Unit
Participation in this conference may qualify for up to 11
hours of Professional Development Hours (PDH), Continuing
Professional Competency (CPC) or Mandatory Continuing
Education (MCE) to maintain Professional Engineering (PE) or
American Institute of Architects (AIA) membership status.
Brochure
Check back in the future to download the conference
brochure. It will include information on the program
and events.
Sponsors and Planning Committee
The Consumer Issues Conference addresses consumer
problems or issues. We define these as threats of
fraud or misinformation, unfair advantage relative
to consumers, or problems that cause some harm or
risk to consumers. As a planning group our
objectives are to:
-
Develop an understanding of consumer issues and awareness of resources available to prevent and address them,
-
Empower consumers to address specific consumer concerns through
education, collaboration, and participation in the
public policy process,
- Create opportunities for networking that can lead to collaboration
among interested parties with different perspectives
on consumer issues,
-
Improve consumer wellbeing through changes in
personal actions and state and local government
policy, (e.g. legislation introduced and/or passed,
regulation, and funding), and
- Empower students to create well researched position papers and presentations on a
specific consumer issue to relevant experts and
policymakers, including legislators.
The Planning Committee
Dee Pridgen,
College of Law
University of Wyoming, Associate Dean & Professor,
CoChair
Virginia Vincenti,
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
University of Wyoming, Professor, CoChair
N.
Denise Burke,
College of Law
University of
Wyoming, Assistant Dean
Cole Ehmke,
Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
University
of
Wyoming, Extension
Specialist in Personal Finance
Elizabeth Goudey, Esq.,
Students' Attorney Office
University of
Wyoming, ASUW Students' Attorney
Robert
Kubichek,
College of
Engineering and Applied Science
University
of
Wyoming, Associate
Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Carol Makela,
Consumer and Family Studies
Colorado
State
University,
Professor
Mark Moran, State of Wyoming Attorney General’s
office and Laramie County Municipal Judge
Chris
Petrie,
Wyoming Public Service Commission
State of
Wyoming, Secretary and Chief Counsel
Terri Rittenburg,
College of
Business
University of Wyoming, Associate Professor
of Department of Management and Marketing.
Sponsors
Our program supporters provide financial as well as
in-kind contributions to bring about this annual
event.
AARP
Albany
County Tourism
Board (pending)
Associated Students of the
University of
Wyoming
(ASUW)
UW College of Agriculture Dean's Office
UW College of Engineering Dean's Office
UW College of Law Dean's Office
UW Cooperative Extension Service
UW Department of Family and Consumer
Sciences
UW Office of the President
– UW Foundation
If you or your organization would like to support
this project as it raises
awareness, and
empowers and connects consumers to
address public policy issues, then contact Dee Pridgen or Virginia Vincenti. The Consumer
Issues Conference is a highly-rated event that has a
history of creating impact. Participants mainly come from
across Wyoming as well as Colorado and Nebraska.
Past Conference Websites
Money Matters (2007)
Home on the Range (2006)
Consumer Activism: Health Issues (2005)
Cars and Consumers (2003)
Credit Cards Marketed to Youth and Privacy Rights (2002)
Addressing Consumer Fraud (2001)
Rental Housing Inspection, 1999 white paper based on 1st
conference
